Sasha works for a travel app that makes her participate in the employee Joyful Mess program but she is so burned out from the emails, the lack of staff, and help from her manager that she can not find joy anywhere. One day she walks out and tries to talk to a nun, Agnes, about joining up. After this, she decides that she needs a break. Sasha goes to Rilston Bay, the place her family went to all the time when she was a kid. Unfortunately, the gilded age of the place has long gone, leaving only a small number of guests, a barely alive porter, quirky staff, and subpar rooms. None of these factors deter Sasha though. She is still gung ho to do her wellness program and she starts it off the very first morning she's there.
THE BURNOUT by Sophie Kinsella is a light-hearted, hilarious rom-com that tackles mental health, the importance of work-life balance, and self-reliance. It is a story of self-discovery and human connection set against the beautiful backdrop of the beach. It was such a refreshing story that will stay with me long after the last page.
Sparks fly in this delightful novel about two
burned out professionals who meet at a ramshackle resort on
the British seaside—from the #1 New York Times
bestselling author of The Party Crasher.
“I devoured The Burnout in one greedy gulp.
It’s funny, sad, relatable, and brilliantly done.
Sophie Kinsella is the queen of romantic
comedy.”—Jojo Moyes
She
can do anything . . . just not everything.
Sasha has had it. She cannot bring herself to respond to
another inane, “urgent” (but obviously not at
all urgent) email or participate in the corporate employee
joyfulness program. She hasn’t seen her friends in
months. Sex? Seems like a lot of effort. Even cooking dinner
takes far too much planning. Sasha has hit a wall.
Armed with good intentions to drink kale smoothies, try
yoga, and find peace, she heads to the seaside resort she
loved as a child. But it’s the off season, the hotel
is in a dilapidated shambles, and she has to share the beach
with the only other occupant: a grumpy guy named Finn, who
seems as stressed as Sasha. How can she commune with nature
when he’s sitting on her favorite rock, watching her?
Nor can they agree on how best to alleviate their burnout
(Sasha: manifesting, wild swimming; Finn: drinking whisky,
getting pizza delivered to the beach).
When
curious messages, seemingly addressed to Sasha and Finn,
begin to appear on the beach, the two are forced to
talk—about everything. How did they get so burned out?
Can either of them remember something they used to love?
(Answer: surfing!) And the question they try and fail to
ignore: what does the energy between them—flaring even
in the face of their bone-deep exhaustion—signify?
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