Pear Shaped

A novel about love, heartbreak and dessert.

Girl meets boy.
Girl loses boy.
Girl loses mind.

Sophie Klein walks into a bar one Friday night and her life changes. She meets James Stephens: charismatic, elusive, and with a hosiery model ex who casts a long, thin shadow over their burgeoning relationship. He’s clever, funny and shares her greatest pleasure in life – to eat and drink slightly too much and then have a little lie down. Sophie’s instinct tells her James is too good to be true – and he is.

An exploration of love, heartbreak, self-image, self-deception and lots of food. Pear-Shaped is in turns smart, laugh-out-loud funny and above all, recognizable to women everywhere.

Reviews

‘A fabulous first novel by a British writer…Her writing is witty and snappy and she is hilarious on the food industry, with a wit that would not disgrace television’s The Office… I also found her fascinating on the methodology of contemporary dating.’ Wendy Holden.

'Pear Shaped is the best sort of guilty pleasure, from the copious puddings our heroine Sophie tests in her day job, to the relationship she just knows is wrong for her but can't seem to give up. You'll shout out loud willing her to dump him, and cry with laughter as you recognise all the daft things we do when we're in love. And then you'll have a second helping of pudding and fall in love with Stella Newman's quick wit and her clever portrayal of that delicate balance between food, love and insanity.' –Kathleen Baird-Murray

'It reminded me of a lemon meringue pie: sharp and sweet and satisfying all at once. It's funny, sad and uplifting… Sophie Klein's every woman who's stood in front of a mirror and hated herself, and we adore her for that, and for finally delivering a Toxic Bachelor a good kick up the arse. It's a belter.' –Kate Long, bestselling author of The Bad Mother's Handbook

'Achingly funny, searingly honest, Pear Shaped is quite simply the freshest thing I've ever read. Take note of the name Stella Newman. A must for anyone who's ever loved, lost….or eaten too much dessert.' Claudia Carroll, bestselling author of Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow

'If you are a girl with a passion for food, this modern city heartbreak is the book for you.' Heat

‘What a fantastic book. Really quite brilliant, way superior to standard chick-lit…so well written, fresh, insightful, funny…honest and very contemporary. Fantastic dialogue. Great characters. There's so much that's fresh and fun, including the food world which I loved.’ Henry Fitzherbert, Sunday Express

About the author

Stella Newman studied English at Sussex University. She lives in London and is a freelance copywriter and keen amateur cook. She is currently writing her second novel and her first screenplay. She blogs about restaurants, food and writing at www.stellanewmansblog.blogspot.com