So don’t know what’s gotten into my system, but I’ve been reading like no tomorrow recently. I used to be such a bookworm when I was was younger, going through a book a day sometimes! But growing up, sometimes all I want to do is put Netflix on and relaaaax.

However, it’s one of my ’19 in 2019′ challenges (see my blog here for the full list) and so I’m 1.5 books off of my goal this year of non-fiction. And I tell you what, now I’ve got back in the swing of it, I’m hook, line and fully sunk. But let’s crack on with a review of ‘This is Going To Hurt’ by Adam Lay.

Now, this was released in 2018 and I feel like everyone I knew was reading this book. I saw people on the tube, people on sunbeds on holiday – EVERYWHERE I LOOKED PEOPLE WERE READING IT! And so, deciding to finally take the plunge a whole year later (obvs late to the game…) decided to read it.

First off, it was a nice easy read – although it’s evidently a medical based book, the author has kindly explained in the footnotes those medical terms that are a little bit confusing who are not in the profession. Secondly – it based on the diary format, then split into chapters dependent what job role they were in.

Now – in parts of this book – I laughed hard. As his career focussed on obs & gynae, the book highly focusses on the labour ward. Now I’m nowhere near the having kids part on my life, plus after reading about births and vaginal tears and all that gloriousness in the book – my eyes are deffo open to it all and it deffo isn’t happening any sooner 😂 Sorry mumma, but you’re a long way off being a grandma!

However, this book is also an insight into the NHS. I have friends who work for the NHS, and I already hear stories of their long hours and ridiculously low pay. But this book is a way for people who don’t have a connection to the NHS to begin to understand the stresses our nurses, doctors, medical staff and all other wonderful angels of the NHS go through. We are so incredibly fortunate to have the NHS in the UK. But unfortunately right now, it’s becoming extremely noticeable that more and more of it is becoming privatised – as those who do work for the NHS are not paid what they truly deserve and there just isn’t the funding into the public services anymore.

Whilst this book is side-splitting at times and has nearly made me spit out my tea at points, it’s ending does bring you straight back down to earth. It opens your eyes that not everything can be fixed. It shows that there is clearly times where mistakes can be made and sometimes it can be life-threatening. It’s a sobering ending and makes you realise the extreme stresses of the workers of the NHS.

It took me a year to read this book, and I can only wish that I had read it sooner. Adam has written an incredible book and I can only hope there are more books to follow. I’m definitely looking into attending one of his live shows (he’s now a comedian… not a consultant) and dragging my other half.

Go get it out of the library, pick it up at the book shop, ask a friend to borrow it! Just go read it and thoroughly enjoy every page.

Let me know in the comments below if you’ve read it and what you thought! Also what are you reading at the moment? Always looking for new book recommendations 👀

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Francesca xo