Q: The Silver Linings Playbook

Well here I finally am with a very long-overdue review of The Silver Linings Playbook, by Matthew Quick. This was completed as part of my A-Z Author Challenge 2015!

I should point out that I did something I never do with this one...I watched the film before reading the book! I just couldn't resist when I saw it playing on TV! However, luckily there were loads of differences between the film and the book, so that was fine by me! :) Also, sometimes I don't like watching films first because then all I can imagine are the actors from the film, but in this case that wasn't a bad thing either, as I love Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, so I was quite happy for them to be playing the parts of Pat and Tiffany in my head! :)

However much I like Bradley and Jennifer though, their movie cover will never live up to the original:

So, a quick synopsis from Goodreads:

"Meet Pat. Pat has a theory: his life is a movie produced by God. And his God-given mission is to become physically fit and emotionally literate, whereupon God will ensure a happy ending for him -- the return of his estranged wife Nikki. (It might not come as a surprise to learn that Pat has spent time in a mental health facility.) The problem is, Pat's now home, and everything feels off. No one will talk to him about Nikki; his beloved Philadelphia Eagles keep losing; he's being pursued by the deeply odd Tiffany; his new therapist seems to recommend adultery as a form of therapy. Plus, he's being hunted by Kenny G!
In this enchanting novel, Matthew Quick takes us inside Pat's mind, showing us the world from his distorted yet endearing perspective. As the award-winning novelist Justin Cronin put it: "Tender, soulful, hilarious, and true, The Silver Linings Playbook is a wonderful debut."

Oh Pat, you break my heart! I love Pat as a character, he is portrayed so well and it is so endearing to see him fight so hard to win back the woman he loves. He has such an air of innocence; he may be aggressive at times, but I couldn't possibly hold that against him and I got frustrated along with him when he messes up! It was so heart-breaking to read that he was so convinced that by changing his ways he could win his ex-wife back, she is clearly his entire world. I felt just as much sympathy for him as I would if he were my real-life friend! He tries so hard, bless him!

Then Tiffany is thrown into the mix, and she shifts his life once more! He is willing to learn to dance just to get a chance to talk to his ex-wife! Yes, the ending may be predictable, but it doesn't make it any less delicious! It is almost like the adult version of the ending I so wanted from All the Bright Places. 

I just loved it! I couldn't put it down, and I was rooting for Pat so strongly that I cried, laughed and smiled along with him! A really lovely story :)