# The Burnout

By Sophie Kinsella

Profile: https://hahafiction.com/books/the-burnout-4d316aed/

Sasha escapes an exhausting job for the Devon resort she remembers from childhood. The hotel is falling apart, the weather is bleak and Finn, another worn-out visitor, has occupied the beach she wanted to herself. Mysterious messages in the sand give them a reason to start talking.

## What makes it funny?

Sasha’s bullet journal contains a single task, work, which she has never managed to check off. At the office, the employee joyfulness program creates more demands while her request for enough colleagues goes unanswered.

### The comedy at work

Kinsella makes supposedly helpful routines add to Sasha’s workload. Her holiday offers another set of comic frustrations, from incompetent hotel staff to Finn’s very different ideas about recuperation.

### Try this if…

For readers who like romantic banter alongside a story about finding pleasure again after overwork. Publishers Weekly notes that the relationship develops slowly.

### Good to know

The story centers on burnout, with panic and severe exhaustion in the opening. The sample includes profanity and frank discussion of sex.

## What to expect

- Genre: Romance
- On the shelf: Contemporary romance · Romantic comedy
- Kind of humor: Banter · Satire
- The atmosphere: Warmhearted
- Format: Novel
- Published: 2023

## A few distinguishing details

- Mandatory joyfulness as another work burden
- A seaside recovery trip with an unwanted neighbor

## Sources & further reading

- Review: [Publishers Weekly review](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780593730393)
- Author commentary: [Author introduction and excerpt](https://www.sophiekinsella.co.uk/book/the-burnout)
- Publisher: [Publisher](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/739706/the-burnout-by-sophie-kinsella)