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Can't Live Without

by Joanne Phillips (Goodreads Author)

3.76 of 5 stars 3.76 · rating details · 116 ratings · 38 reviews

How does it feel to lose everything you own?

Stella Hill is proud of the home she's created for herself and her daughter. She's worked hard to buy the very best of everything ... But when she wakes one morning to find her kitchen on fire, Stella knows her life will never be the same again.

At least she has Paul to lean on: Paul Smart, owner of Smart Homes, confirmed bachelo...more

Paperback, 258 pages

Published July 9th 2012 by Mirrorball Books (first published May 15th 2012)

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Jun 07, 2012 Marina Sofia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a fun read, with very lively characters, a great sense of humour, some farcical situations... yet an underlying serious theme of a consumer society driven to rethink its priorities - which is very topical at the moment.

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Jan 10, 2013 Caius Durling rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This feels like the author hasn't written anything that's been edited and given constructive feedback before. It just keeps hitting you with bombshells (x did this, y got offended about that) just to (so it feels like) spin the story out another 50 pages. Take half the bombshells out and it would be a much nicer book to read.

It's not that it's a badly written book, in fact it's fairly well written I'd say. It just suffers from having too many events happening within a very short space of time th...more

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Nov 13, 2012 Megan Readinginthesunshine rated it 5 of 5 stars

Stella Hill is a single mother who has worked so very hard to create a home for herself and her teenage daughter Lipsy. One morning, Stella plods downstairs with the intention of making herself a cup of tea, only to find that her kitchen is on fire. After the shock of standing outside in one of Lipsy’s short night-dresses, surrounded by her neighbours whilst watching her beloved house burn down, Stella is now faced with the prospect of starting all over again. Now attending work in her little-bi...more Stella Hill is a single mother who has worked so very hard to create a home for herself and her teenage daughter Lipsy. One morning, Stella plods downstairs with the intention of making herself a cup of tea, only to find that her kitchen is on fire. After the shock of standing outside in one of Lipsy’s short night-dresses, surrounded by her neighbours whilst watching her beloved house burn down, Stella is now faced with the prospect of starting all over again. Now attending work in her little-bit-too-tight gym clothes because that is all she has left, and with little money to her name, Stella is faced with not only putting her home back together, but dealing with a variety of other issues in her life. can Stella manage to put the pieces of her life back together?

I absolutely LOVED this story! Personally – the house setting on fire is actually one of my worst nightmares, I like to think that I’d know what to do if the time arose, but like Stella, I’d probably go into shock and panic – so this had me completely hooked from the first page! I was desperate to know how she’d cope! Would she know what to do? What would you do when everything you own has been burnt to ashes? Where do you even start to put your life back together? It is something people never really think about, so it was absolutely fascinating for it to be included in a book and to read about how Stella does deal with it, what a brilliant idea for a novel.

The writing style is so compelling to read. Joanne does a superb job of putting us in the mind and heart of Stella, and she is a character I warmed to straight away. She was so well-written that it was like I was transported to the scenes in the book and was stood next to her watching them unfold. I really liked Stella’s personality. Sometimes in books you have the perfect character who has stunning looks or the perfect man or everything going right for her – and with Stella we were given a normal, average woman who is trying to juggle life, her daughter, and deal with the loss of her home all at once. It is refreshing, it is raw and it is true-to-life, something we can all relate to – this only drew me in to the character of Stella even more and I found I developed a strong bond with her. Throughout the book I went on an emotional roller-coaster with Stella – I laughed with her, I cried with her and I cringed with her at some of the situations she was in.

I loved the idea of the list. When Stella loses everything in the fire, she begins to make a list of the things she can’t live without. Stella’s list is sometimes quite hilarious and it had me thinking all the way through about what I would put on mine.

The other characters are brilliant. I enjoyed the mix of them and how different they were from each other. Stella’s family were an enjoyable bunch to read about: there is Lipsy, Stella’s teenage daughter who is devastated that everything she owns has gone up in flames and therefore her life is ruined. We also meet Stella’s mother who has a serious shopping addiction and learn that Stella’s father is currently in prison. There are also other characters who play a valuable part in Stella’s journey, such as Joshua, the handsome next-door neighbour and Paul who is Stella’s boss and her best friend. I LOVED Paul – I wish I knew him in real life! I loved his relationship with Stella, the way they interacted with each other and the vibes that he gave out, it was truly wonderful to read and it was exciting and comforting at the same time. I always looked forward to the parts where Paul featured and I was quite sad to finish the book, I wanted to carry on reading about their lives and sharing their journey! I am ever so excited about Joanne’s future releases!

Can’t Live Without is so much more than what it may first appear. It is heart-warming, it is funny and it will have you laughing one minute and reaching out to the characters the next. I have not felt this emotionally connected to a book in a long time, it entertained me but it also moved me. It is beautifully written with a lovely underlying message about what is truly important in life, and what really matters. A wonderful novel!(less)

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Oct 08, 2012 Tahlia Newland rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a sleek, beautifully crafted novel about Stella, a thirty-seven-year-old single mother with a sixteen-year-old daughter, and a boss who’s been her best friend ever since the father of her child walked out on her many years ago. She’s known Paul since they were kids. She even had a crush on him once, and they have the easy kind of relationship that comes from being truly good friends.

Stella is instantly likable, self reliant and rather stubborn. Paul is an adorable confirmed bachelor whos...more

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Jul 29, 2012 Susan Buchanan rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was given an Advance Review Copy by the author, in order to provide an independent review.

Contrary to the cover, which I really like, but comes across as being very chick-lit, Can't Live Without is so much more than chick-lit. Rather it's the exploration of relationships and assessing what's important in life. After Stella's house burns down, she changes from being very materialistic to actually focusing on what she can't live without. I particularly enjoyed the relationship between Stella and...more I was given an Advance Review Copy by the author, in order to provide an independent review.

Contrary to the cover, which I really like, but comes across as being very chick-lit, Can't Live Without is so much more than chick-lit. Rather it's the exploration of relationships and assessing what's important in life. After Stella's house burns down, she changes from being very materialistic to actually focusing on what she can't live without. I particularly enjoyed the relationship between Stella and her daughter and I thought that the trials they went through were very appropriate and would be related to by many parents. I also thought the daughter trying to get the granny onside, driving a wedge between Stella and her mother was very well done. The parallels between the generations, with their similarities and differences was entertaining. The three love rivals vying for Stella's attentions was also interesting and sometimes hysterical to observe. As for the office bitch, I would have dealt with her a lot sooner, I have to say!! I applauded how Stella finally dealt with her.

The sub-plot about Stella's father was genius, although I still don't understand his actions... It took me a while to guess where he was and I had no idea of her mother's involvement, until it was laid bare for me. The sleazy lodger sub-plot was a welcome addition & showed the vulnerability of Stella's mother in the absence of her father. In my mind, this book starts off being similar in type to Dorothy Koomson and then later becomes a bit more chick-lit. It also has plenty of laughs, particularly with the OCD sports car driving neighbour, Stella turning up to work in her slightly smelly gym gear and with the many misunderstandings by her and her love interests. If I didn't already have a fab boyfriend, I would have quite liked Paul to be available! Oh and I loved the finale - including the little quirky detail right at the end - which appealed to my romantic, fun side.
Will be looking out for Joanne's next book later this year. (less)

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Jun 04, 2012 Miranda Stork rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: People who enjoy humourous contemporary women's fiction

Shelves: blog-reviews

Review of Can’t Live Without

The first thing that attracted me to the book was the fabulous cover. It looks very professional, and is a perfect fit for the story within. And although I normally don’t enjoy women’s contemporary fiction, I was really intrigued by the blurb, as it sounded really different.

Good Points

The humour! And the humour! Did I mention the humour? Joanne has a real flare for producing a story that is laugh-out-loud funny at all the right moments, and adds just the right amount...more

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Jan 11, 2013 Carole Holland rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I loved the opening. I was immediately drawn in and felt comfortable with Stella’s narration – her character was easy to relate to, funny, down to earth and perfectly believable. There were moments when she got a bit repetitive but it was always in character and never got too much for me to bear.

I liked Paul as a character, too. He was Mr Right but with a healthy dose of useless-man syndrome so I didn’t get as irritated with him as I do with the lead romantic interest in some books. My only issu...more I loved the opening. I was immediately drawn in and felt comfortable with Stella’s narration – her character was easy to relate to, funny, down to earth and perfectly believable. There were moments when she got a bit repetitive but it was always in character and never got too much for me to bear.

I liked Paul as a character, too. He was Mr Right but with a healthy dose of useless-man syndrome so I didn’t get as irritated with him as I do with the lead romantic interest in some books. My only issue was the complete character reformation he seemed to have in the middle of the book, it would have been fine if it had been slower to form but it all seemed a bit rushed and sudden. One minute he was this guy and then, half a chapter later BAM! he was completely going against what he’d been saying earlier. It eased itself out though, later in the book.

Lipsy’s storyline was particularly engaging as it didn’t land too far from home and I liked how realistic it was. Her reactions and feelings were very similar to many I had and made me smile and nod as I read.

I sometimes found myself re-reading paragraphs when the point of view changed because I wasn’t sure who was speaking. It was obvious when it was Stella because it was first person, present tense which I loved – The immediacy of it draws you in and you are really connected with her character.

But then it would switch either to Paul in third person, past tense, or Lipsy in either first person diary entries or third person, past tense, and I would sometimes get a bit muddled until I was a bit into the section and had established whose head I was in and where.

That said, I really enjoyed Lipsy’s diary entries and they often made me chuckle. She was a beautifully articulated example of an annoying stroppy teenager who thinks they know how the world is going to be and then finds everything turned upside down in a series of events they have no or little control over. It’s a place we’ve all been and I think Joanne captured it perfectly.

The pacing of the book was good although there were times when I felt a bit bombarded with information and new twists and turns. By the time I was 75% through, I felt a bit bogged down with story-lines and ended up being dissatisfied with several of them because they either fell by the wayside, got glossed over or just didn’t get the detail I wanted because there was no way of exploring everything all in one novel.

I think that is where Can’t Live Without fell down for me. There was just too much happening for one novel. None of it was bad, in fact, I enjoy the writing style and loved the main ideas, but I feel it would have been better if Joanne had picked just two or three of her sub-plots and run with them instead of trying to squish everything in.

Can’t Live Without is far from a bad book, I did enjoy it, but there were enough niggles that I was left feeling frustrated because I wanted more from it. I felt like I was promised a feast and got given a Deluxe Picnic Hamper – still enjoyable but not quite what I had hoped for.(less)

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Jun 29, 2012 Cindy Roesel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

***This review first appeared on CHICK LIT CENTRAL

How does it feel to lose everything you own? Stella Hill knows only too well. She wakes up one morning to find her house up in flames. From there, things go from bad to worse in Joanne Phillips’ debut chick-lit comedy romance novel, CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT! Hard to imagine things getting tougher with a start like that, but where there’s smoke, there’s bound to be some flames and CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT has plenty of sizzle!

Written in a similar tongue and c...more ***This review first appeared on CHICK LIT CENTRAL

How does it feel to lose everything you own? Stella Hill knows only too well. She wakes up one morning to find her house up in flames. From there, things go from bad to worse in Joanne Phillips’ debut chick-lit comedy romance novel, CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT! Hard to imagine things getting tougher with a start like that, but where there’s smoke, there’s bound to be some flames and CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT has plenty of sizzle!

Written in a similar tongue and cheeky fashion we’ve all come to love from Carole Matthews, Phillips sets us up with a cast of characters that’ll have you keeping notes on the side. Stella’s best friend is her boss, Paul, but let’s face it, they really are in love with each other if they would just wake up to the fact, thank you very much. Her teenage daughter, Lipsy just wants Stella to back off a bit considering she burned down everything she owns in her 16-year old world, including ten diaries that have recorded life as she knows it. Then there’s Stella’s own spendaholic mother who has never looked past an item she couldn’t charge on her credit card, even though there is no money coming into the household. And finally, Stella’s dad locked up in prison, soon to be released, but no one’s talking to him or about his homecoming!

I love that Phillips creates in Stella, a character in her late 30s with many flaws, but ultimately the heart of an angel, someone all readers will rally around. At the risk of spoiling sub-plots, I will only say I believe there were a few too many and that tended to slow down the pace of what could have been a more snappy novel. I can share without giving anything away, that CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT has to do with a list Stella creates of the things she initially believes she can’t live without right after the fire. Ten weeks and one day later and guess what? I’m not giving it away!

CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT is all about finding out what really matters in life. It’s discovering how important family time is. It’s recognizing how necessary that phone call is. Sometimes it’s the big stuff, but more often than not, it’s the small things. FYI: I love that super-sassy cover!

You can find Joanne Phillips on Facebook, Twitter and her website. CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT is currently $2.99 for Kindle.
(less)

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Jan 11, 2013 Liberty Gilmore rated it 3 of 5 stars

I decided to start reviewing Self Pubbed books because I think Self Publishing is moving away from the 'Vanity Press' days to becoming a valid avenue for writers looking to get their work out there. With fierce competition for limited places in publishing house line ups, there must be thousands of good books out there that get turned away (Harry Potter, famously rejected many times before JKR made her fortune).

I must admit though, even though it's something I'm considering myself (for my novella...more

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Sep 21, 2012 Linda Gillard rated it 5 of 5 stars

I read this in a couple of sittings and thoroughly enjoyed it. The novel opens with the horror of the heroine's home going up in flames and the pace never lets up. There's a big cast of characters, the plot's full of surprises and pathos, the dialogue is convincing and often very funny. But the story has depth. Despite the misfortunes that beset her, Stella the disaster-prone heroine (loveable, flawed and so very real) never resorts to self-pity. Stripped of her material possessions, she learns...more

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Apr 03, 2013 Michelle Proulx rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was an exceptionally fun read. The main character, Stella, is totally incapable of managing her own life or keeping her daughter in line, and watching her fumble her way from one situation to the next was extremely entertaining. But while I would usually find myself irritated with such a character (who on Earth doesn’t buy home insurance and then accidentally burns their house down?), Stella is so quirky and full of life that I found myself cheering for her from start to finish.

I wasn’t a h...more

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Jul 10, 2012 Debbie Young rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I don't usually read books in this genre but was intrigued by the opening situation and gripped by the first few pages - a woman who loses everything in a house fire. When tidying up my eternally untidy house, I've been guilty of occasionally fantasising about this happening to me, as a quick and easy way of decluttering. But no more!

I immediately cared about what became of the heroine and her family and tore through the book as fast as I could. Well written, humorous, unexpectedly lyrical about...more

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Nov 17, 2012 Elizabeth Jasper rated it 5 of 5 stars

This romance is the perfect pick-me-up if you're feeling a little down in the dumps for any reason. Well-written, perceptive and funny, it cheered me up on a dark, rainy day.

Stella picks her way around the disasters of losing her home in a fire and losing the trust and respect of her daughter by means of determination and sheer hard work, with a little help from her boss, Paul, who is also the guy she's had a crush on forever. Confused about her relationships with ex-husband, her parents and her...more

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Oct 12, 2012 Jan Ruth rated it 5 of 5 stars

An exceptionally well paced and plotted book. I liked the authors stripped back style. Fresh, modern and constantly on the move, the author had me rooting for single mum Stella right from the start. And what a dramatic start! We fall straight into Stella’s life as she discovers her kitchen is on fire!
It has all the ingredients of classic chick-lit; the 30 something funny female character, the hunky boss, the difficult teenage daughter, the handsome, waste of space ex. But wait; it’s not what it...more

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Apr 23, 2013 Fiona Chapman rated it 4 of 5 stars

Single mother Stella Hill wakes up one morning to find her kitchen on fire, which in no time at all has spread throughout the house and her home is up in flames. What isn't destroyed by the fire is ruined by water damage and Stella loses everything she ever thought she couldn't live without. What follows is an amusing account of her journey to put her life back together and the obstacles she encounters along the way, including some disastrous dates and a healthy dose of self-discovery.

This is t...more

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Aug 16, 2012 Lynda Kelly rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Really enjoyed this. A typical chick-lit book but easy reading and hardly any errors either which in itself makes it a delight for me these days with e-books.
OK, Stella (the star of the tale) has a teenaged daughter with a ridiculous name-Lipsy but I'll forgive this !! Stella wakes one morning and her house is on fire and she loses all her worldly goods. Her boss and best friend Paul helps her to get herself back together and she also has her mum to cope with who spends money like it's going out...more

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Apr 01, 2013 Lin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When Stella's house burns down, she starts a list of the items she needs to replace, and that she can't live without. The first item on the list is an American double-door ice-maker fridge-freezer. Needless to say, over the next few weeks and months Stella's priorities change considerably!
From the very first paragraph of this story, I relaxed into the easy, entertaining style, and enjoyed the characters. The occasional change of POV is handled skilfully, adding to enjoyment of the tale, and it c...more

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Dec 24, 2012 Pete Denton rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read this book as part of an Eclectic Reading challenge and I am very glad that I did. I found the writing style very easy to read and both the characters and the story-line are engaging from the first page.

Stella is a fabulous character and the interaction with her boss and work colleagues, to the home life problems she has with her parents, brother, daughter and lodger made a cracking story to read.

It will also ensure you purchase something very important!

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Jan 16, 2013 Rebecca Bradley rated it 4 of 5 stars

An engaging read with a believable protagonist in Stella, a sometimes dipsy woman with a fairly sensible head on her shoulders. This makes her easily identifiable with and someone to care about as the story moves forward.

I was genuinely laughing out loud in front of my dog, at the scene near the end, in the park, where Stella decides to go for a run. That's all I'm saying without doing a spoiler.

An enjoyable easy read and I'll be reading the next one by this author.

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Sep 07, 2012 Nicki rated it 4 of 5 stars

Downloaded this as a free kindle book. Didn't expect a lot, was very pleasantly surprised. This is a quality chick lit. I will check out this author to see if she has any other kindle books. I would happily pay a few dollars to read them.
Good characters and interesting story, don't think I've ever read about someone who's house burnt down before. It's certainly made me check the washing machine is off and I paid my insurance bill!
Lipsy maybe does a bit too much of a personality flip to be conv...more

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Mar 27, 2013 Estelle Wilkinson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

All the way through this book I thought I knew what was coming. And, every time I was wrong. It is well written with a good amount of twists and turns. An enjoyable read that give you a great sense of what is important in life.

At points I could see myself in Stella (maybe it’s name thing!) when thinking back on previous relationships and how I handled different situations. It’s amazing what life can throw at us and what we can actually deal with. The book does well to illustrate female insecuri...more

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May 12, 2013 Alison rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: highly-recommended, read-in-2013

Really enjoyed this tale of a slightly scatty single mum who loses everything in a fire. Initially she tries to get things in order by listing all the material goods she can't live without, but in time her priorities change. Chick lit with a deeper meaning, and well worth reading.

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Dec 30, 2012 Becka rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance

A really sweet romance with characters who actually develop over the course of the book. Nothing sexier than a kiss, but lots of insight into who the characters are and warm fuzziness. Teenage pregnancy, absent fathers, and workplace romance are all themes.

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Dec 27, 2012 Crystal rated it 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book. I can't believe what all she goes through. I like it because it shows how it would happen in real life. This is real situations that people go through and it showed how people react.

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Aug 05, 2012 Brianna Lee Book Reviews marked it as read2r

Shelves: first-reads

I won this book in Goodreads' First Reads Giveaway.

I liked this book a lot.

I will write a full review on this book soon!

1 like · like · see review

May 07, 2013 Annie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Thank god that's over. I had to force myself to finish it. The only reason I bought it was because the second one was free. Save your money.

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Jan 16, 2013 Heather rated it 1 of 5 stars

I had a really hard time finishing this book. It was ok, just not my type!

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Mar 22, 2013 Anne Wilson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Found myself out loud laughing one minute and crying the next x

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Jan 02, 2013 Tiffany rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book took me what felt like forever to read. I did enjoy it though.

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Jul 19, 2012 Emma rated it 4 of 5 stars

Brilliant first novel. Well done, really enjoyed your book.

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topics	posts	views	last activity
The Indie Exchang...: Can't Live Without this book? FREE until 23rd Dec	2	25	Dec 22, 2012 07:59am
Q&A with Joan...: FREE on Kindle today and tomorrow	1	1	Jul 13, 2012 11:49am
The Indie Exchang...: Can't Live Without FREE on Kindle Fri 13th & Sat 14th July	1	5	Jul 13, 2012 05:19am
Q&A with Joan...: Paperback is out!	1	3	Jul 04, 2012 11:27am
Q&A with Joan...: Your own 'can't live without' list	14	11	Jun 23, 2012 03:42am
Q&A with Joan...: Print or e? What's your preference?	7	7	Jun 19, 2012 03:19am

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About Joanne Phillips

Joanne Phillips lives in rural Shropshire, England, with her husband and daughter. Since leaving school she's had an eclectic career, working as a hairdresser, an air hostess and a librarian. She now writes full time.

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