{"id":2423,"date":"2025-03-30T06:03:01","date_gmt":"2025-03-30T06:03:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=2423"},"modified":"2025-03-30T06:03:01","modified_gmt":"2025-03-30T06:03:01","slug":"really-good-actually-by-monica-heisey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=2423","title":{"rendered":"Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey"},"content":{"rendered":"

Monica Heisey\u2019s debut novel \u201cReally Good, Actually\u201d is a triumph of comedic timing wrapped in a blanket of millennial existential dread<\/a>. Following 29-year-old Maggie through the aftermath of her 608-day marriage, Heisey delivers a story that feels both painfully specific and universally relatable. With sharp dialogue, cringe-worthy moments, and unexpected tenderness, this novel offers an honest portrayal of what it means to rebuild your life when your carefully constructed future crumbles.<\/p>\n

The Art of the Twentysomething Divorce<\/h2>\n

Maggie is an adjunct professor and PhD candidate studying early modern theatre who finds herself divorced before she hits 30. The novel brilliantly chronicles her first year of single life as she attempts to navigate her new identity as a \u201cSurprisingly Young Divorc\u00e9e\u2122.\u201d What sets this book apart is Heisey\u2019s refusal to cast Maggie as either victim or villain. Instead, she presents a protagonist who is gloriously, catastrophically human\u2014one who sends regrettable late-night texts, stalks her ex via their cat\u2019s Instagram account, and tries desperately to convince everyone (including herself) that she\u2019s \u201cactually doing great.\u201d<\/p>\n

The book\u2019s structure mimics Maggie\u2019s emotional journey, interspersing traditional narrative with text messages, Google search histories, unanswered emails, fantasy sequences, and lists with titles like \u201cReasons I Cried, 12\u201323 November.\u201d These elements provide both comic relief and deeper insight into Maggie\u2019s fractured psyche.<\/p>\n

Strengths: Humor That Cuts to the Bone<\/h2>\n

Heisey\u2019s background as a comedy writer for shows like \u201cSchitt\u2019s Creek\u201d and \u201cWorkin\u2019 Moms\u201d shines through in her impeccable timing and dialogue. The humor in \u201cReally Good, Actually\u201d is never merely decorative\u2014it serves as both Maggie\u2019s shield and the reader\u2019s window into her pain.<\/p>\n

Some of the novel\u2019s strongest moments include:<\/p>\n

The friends group chat dynamics<\/strong> \u2013 Heisey perfectly captures the shorthand and inside jokes of long-term friendships
\nMaggie\u2019s dating app adventures<\/strong> \u2013 From awkward first meetings to a hilariously disastrous threesome attempt at a wedding
\nHer therapist sessions<\/strong> \u2013 Particularly the list of \u201cEmotionally Devastating Things My Therapist Said to Me Like They Were Nothing\u201d
\nThe unsent emails and text messages<\/strong> \u2013 Revealing the chasm between what Maggie wants to say and what she actually says<\/p>\n

The novel also excels in its portrayal of the digital age\u2019s impact on relationships and breakups. Maggie\u2019s obsessive online behavior\u2014from creating new accounts to view her ex\u2019s stories to late-night Twitter spirals\u2014reflects how social media has complicated the already difficult process of moving on<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A Supporting Cast That Shines<\/h2>\n

Heisey populates Maggie\u2019s world with a cast of supporting characters who feel fully realized rather than merely functional:<\/p>\n

The friend group<\/strong> \u2013 Amirah, Clive, and the two Laurens (one emotional, one not) provide both support and reality checks
\nAmy<\/strong> \u2013 A fellow divorc\u00e9e whose apocalyptic anger offers Maggie a different model of post-marriage existence
\nMerris<\/strong> \u2013 Maggie\u2019s academic advisor whose tough love provides some of the book\u2019s most insightful moments
\nSimon<\/strong> \u2013 A potential new love interest whose normalcy and emotional intelligence both attract and terrify Maggie<\/p>\n

Each character serves as a mirror reflecting different aspects of Maggie\u2019s situation, offering contrasting approaches to relationships, career, and self-worth.<\/p>\n

When Narcissism Meets Vulnerability<\/h2>\n

If the novel has a weakness, it might be Maggie\u2019s occasionally exhausting self-absorption. Her spiral of self-pity sometimes tests the reader\u2019s patience\u2014but that\u2019s precisely the point. Heisey has created a character whose flaws aren\u2019t neatly packaged or easily resolved. Instead, we see Maggie at her most insufferable, her most pathetic, and her most human.<\/p>\n

What saves the character from becoming tiresome is Heisey\u2019s willingness to let Maggie be wrong. Unlike many protagonists in contemporary fiction who are merely misunderstood, Maggie frequently makes terrible choices and has genuinely problematic thoughts. Her journey isn\u2019t about being validated but about learning to recognize her own patterns.<\/p>\n

This self-awareness emerges gradually through her therapy sessions with Helen, one of the book\u2019s most compelling relationships. Through these exchanges, Heisey explores deeper questions about identity, self-knowledge, and what it means to be \u201cnormal\u201d:<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to know what kind of stuff to want. I want to not be completely embarrassed by this activity and most other things I do in a day. I want my tortellini to cook faster.\u201d<\/h4>\n

The Millennial Experience Captured<\/h2>\n

The novel brilliantly captures the specific anxieties of millennial existence: the unattainable housing market, the precarity of academic employment, the pressure to define oneself through social media, and the generational expectation that one should be simultaneously successful, politically engaged, and emotionally well-adjusted.<\/p>\n

Maggie\u2019s complaints about \u201csliding barn doors on bathrooms\u201d<\/strong><\/em> and her belief that \u201clate capitalism\u201d<\/strong><\/em> is responsible for everything from air travel discomfort to her failed marriage encapsulate a generation\u2019s tendency to intellectualize personal struggles. Yet Heisey treats these moments with knowing humor rather than dismissal.<\/p>\n

Areas That Could Be Stronger<\/h2>\n

While the novel\u2019s episodic structure effectively mirrors Maggie\u2019s chaotic emotional state, it occasionally results in narrative momentum issues, particularly in the middle sections. Some readers might find themselves wishing for a more tightly constructed plot to propel them through Maggie\u2019s year of self-discovery.<\/p>\n

Additionally, the resolution feels slightly rushed compared to the detailed examination of Maggie\u2019s breakdown. After spending so much time in the depths of her despair, we get relatively little time with the more self-aware version of her that emerges at the end.<\/p>\n

A Fresh Voice in Contemporary Fiction<\/h2>\n

What distinguishes Heisey\u2019s debut from other millennial novels is its refusal to offer easy answers or trendy solutions. There\u2019s no magical meditation practice, no perfect new relationship, no sudden career breakthrough that saves Maggie. Instead, her path forward is messy, incremental, and ongoing\u2014much like real recovery.<\/p>\n

The novel\u2019s best moments come when Maggie confronts the disconnect between how she presents herself and how she actually feels:<\/p>\n

\u201cI tapped the message so a little thumbs-up appeared and went back to bed.\u201d<\/h4>\n

This simple repetition perfectly captures the gap between intention and action that characterizes so much of modern communication.<\/p>\n

Final Verdict: A Memorable Debut<\/h2>\n

\u201cReally Good, Actually\u201d is a sharply observed, frequently hilarious, and deeply moving exploration of what happens when the life you planned disappears. Heisey has created a protagonist who is simultaneously infuriating and endearing\u2014a woman caught between self-awareness and self-delusion who is trying, imperfectly but earnestly, to figure out who she is without the relationship that defined her adult life.<\/p>\n

For readers who enjoyed Sally Rooney\u2019s \u201cNormal People,\u201d Dolly Alderton\u2019s \u201cGhosts,\u201d or Raven Leilani\u2019s \u201cLuster,\u201d Heisey\u2019s debut offers a similar blend of contemporary insights, uncomfortable truths, and linguistic precision. While its humor places it alongside comedic writers like Samantha Irby or Sloane Crosley, its emotional depth and character development reveal a novelist with serious literary ambitions.<\/p>\n

In an era where \u201cauthenticity\u201d has become a buzzword emptied of meaning, Heisey offers something genuinely authentic: a messy, contradictory protagonist who doesn\u2019t always learn the right lessons but keeps trying anyway. By the novel\u2019s end, when Maggie signs her divorce papers and notes that \u201cLater that day I would do something else,\u201d<\/strong><\/em> we believe in her capacity for growth\u2014not because she\u2019s achieved some dramatic transformation, but because she\u2019s finally learned to live in the present tense.<\/p>\n

The Verdict<\/h2>\n

Strengths:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Razor-sharp dialogue and humor
\nInnovative structural elements
\nAuthentic portrayal of millennial anxieties
\nComplex, flawed protagonist<\/p>\n

Weaknesses:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Occasionally repetitive middle section
\nSome narrative momentum issues
\nSlightly rushed resolution<\/p>\n

For anyone who has ever experienced heartbreak, identity crisis, or the peculiar loneliness of living in the digital age, \u201cReally Good, Actually\u201d offers both catharsis and company. Heisey has announced herself as a novelist to watch\u2014one with the rare ability to make us laugh out loud while quietly breaking our hearts.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Monica Heisey\u2019s debut novel \u201cReally Good, Actually\u201d is a triumph of comedic timing wrapped in a blanket of millennial existential dread. Following 29-year-old Maggie through the aftermath of her 608-day marriage, Heisey delivers a story that feels both painfully specific and universally relatable. With sharp dialogue, cringe-worthy moments, and unexpected tenderness, this novel offers an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bookreviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2423"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2423"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2423\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2423"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2423"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2423"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}