Animals - Emma Jane Unsworth

Laura and Tyler are best friends who live together, angrily philosophising and leading each other astray in the pubs and flats of Manchester. But things are set to change. Laura is engaged to teetotal Jim, the wedding is just months away, and Tyler becomes hell-bent on sabotaging her friend's plans for a different life.

Animals is a hilarious, moving and refreshingly honest tale of how a friendship can become the ultimate love story.

Don't ask me why, but this isn't the kind of book I would normally read. But as with so many novels that I've loved over the years, I originally approached them tentatively with a sprinkling of cynicism.

The book description sums it up as "A filthy, funny story of friendship, love and the morning after the night before". That strapline puts it so brilliantly that really there is no point in my giving you this review but I'm going to anyway, obvs.

So yeah, I really loved this book! I'm sure a lot of women who pick this up will think 'oh my god, this is me' as Emma Jane Unsworth recounts the drunken escapades of Laura and Tyler. But for me it wasn't like that. Sure I've had eventful nights out, but I'm quite frankly a wuss and like to be in bed at a reasonable hour on as many nights of the week as I can manage. Saying that, I got completely absorbed in this. It's hilarious for starters, had be genuinely laughing out loud which is rare for me when I'm reading. Hate to think what my reading face is... perhaps a little dull an experiment for series 2 of Gogglebox...

Anyway, I digress again. The book's funny, really funny. There's the occasional moment where the comedy is a tiny bit self-conscious but who cares.

The story is also very real. Who hasn't had a time in their lives when you feel like you're being pulled in two different directions and you're desperately trying to stay loyal to both but ultimately jeopardise both? Laura is exactly in that play, stranded between wanting the security of growing up and getting married to a sensible man and still wanting to have irresponsible drunken nights on the town with her addictively crazy sister from another mister, Tyler. Both simultaneously so very appealing, and so very grim.

Consequently, you kind of want to give Laura a slap and a hug at the same time but whatever you choose, Unsworth's created a character that you just kind of 'get' and can't help but feel sorry for when things start crumbling around her.

8/10