Review: 'Six Months to Get a Life' by Ben Adams (2015)

Graham Hope had it all - a wife, two perfect children, a detached house in the suburbs and a huge TV. Until today. He now has an ex-wife, lives in his parents' spare room and gets the kids and the dog at weekends. He might be lost and lonely, but Graham is not a victim. Six months from today he will be forty-three. He vows to sort this mess out by his birthday. He gives himself six months to get a life. Will Graham play a meaningful role in his boys' lives? Will his mates take him under their wing? Will he move out of his childhood home? More importantly, will he ever have sex again? For Graham, failure is not an option.
I love chick lit. I love women's fiction. And I don't think I will ever get enough of these two genres. However, I do think it's important to switch it up a bit every now and again; try something new (as long as it won't make me feel all horrible and depressed, that's where I draw the line!). So, when I received an e-mail about 'Six Months to Get a Life', author Ben Adams' debut novel, I was straight away excited to check out a novel written by a male author and also told from a male perspective. I really liked the sound of the novel and looked forward to picking it up and giving it a chance.
Graham Hope is a newly divorced 42-year-old with two teenage sons who is trying to pick up his life now he is once again single and living with his parents. While he enjoys nothing more than spending time with his sons Jack and Sean, Graham knows he has to get back in the game and make something of his new life. He decides to give himself six months, until his 43rd birthday, to cross off several things on his to-do list, such as finding his own place to live and a job that he actually enjoys. He also decides to keep a diary during these six months, writing about his life and the changes he hopes to make before his next birthday.
I've seen some other readers labelling this novel as 'lad lit', which is a label I can definitely understand. Yet, with or without a label, 'Six Months to Get a Life' is a great read which I really enjoyed and definitely a promising debut by author Ben Adams. I really like the diary format for books; it provides the reader with a personal look into the protagonists life and in this case it's an easily likeable protagonist in the form of Graham Hope. I straight away warmed to Graham and his mission to change his life around within just six months (quite ambitious, if you ask me!) held my interest from start to finish. 
Ben Adams' writing style is really easy to read and flows well, with the occasional funny remark that managed to make me laugh out loud. The diary format of the book results in numerous relatively short entries/chapters, which makes this a great and easy read to pick up, whether you have only 10 minutes to read or an hour. Next to a great main character, the secondary characters all add something essential to the story as well, such as Graham's teenage sons Sean and Jack, his ex-wife, and his friends. Overall, 'Six Months to Get a Life' is a fun, entertaining and realistic story about a forty-something man trying to turn his life around in just six months; a promising debut novel that's worth picking up!

Rating:9/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads
Thanks to the author for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.