Bryony doesn’t actually mind being single. So she doesn’t understand why she keeps seeing (ok, sleeping with) Ed, who is perfectly fine, but also only okay. After developing the ick on their fifth date, she resolves to end things – only to receive a call the next day telling her Ed has died.

Worse yet, he seems to have represented her to his family and friends as his great love. Obviously, it would be cruel to correct them. Then she’s invited to the funeral. It would be equally rude to refuse… right?

Before she knows it, Bryony has been drawn in by the charisma and chaos of Ed’s eccentric family and tangled in a web of her own lies. She’s been guilted into signing up to his sister’s pyramid scheme, she’s in far too deep with several of his nearest and dearest – and to make matters worse she’s experiencing a lot of physical symptoms that are becoming harder and harder to ignore…

Probably Nothing is the answer to just how far sheer awkwardness can take someone. Peppered with Lauren Bravo’s irresistible wit, it explores the relatable modern cults of wellness and people-pleasing, and digs into the eternal dilemma: life is short – so should you settle for perfectly fine?

Bryony wasn’t after a long-term partner she just wanted a bit of fun, something she thought she was having with Ed. Then on one meet, he gave her the ick. Now she is ready to call it quits.

Unfortunately, for both Bryony and Ed, Ed had an allergic reaction to a sting and died and now Bryony is learning that all of Ed’s family and friends think their casual fling was some great love affair.

Not wanting to come across as heartless, Bryony goes along with it all which only makes matters worse for her as she is being treated like a grieving widow and being asked to help with funeral arrangements and give a eulogy.

Probably Nothing is not your typical humorous book given that it surrounds the death of a young man, a grieving family, and a funeral. I didn’t really find much in the way of funny moments but the story and the characters were fascinating and I adored the plot. I think the fact that I am not a people-pleaser may be why I found it less funny as I just couldn’t understand why someone would go along with being made to be something they weren’t.

The story is told from two POVs, Bryony’s and Kelly’s (Ed’s sister-in-law). When I first got to the part featuring Kelly I did wonder who on earth this woman was. There was no mention of her being related to Ed, etc so I was left a little confused. However, Kelly’s parts worked perfectly in tandem with Bryony’s.

I loved the concept of this book as I’m a sucker for books that are different. I read Probably Nothing in a just couple of sittings as I didn’t want to stop once I had started. I also loved the vibe the book gives off and how the subject matter was handled with care.

Lauren Bravo is an author, journalist and lifelong hypochondriac who has written about fashion, popular culture, food and feminism for titles including Grazia, Stylist, Vogue and Sunday Times Style. Her debut novel, Preloved, was named one of Red’s best books of 2023. She lives in London with her husband and daughter.