Pity Party

the hilarious and heartfelt novel you have to read this summer

Daisy Buchanan author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Little, Brown Book Group

Publishing:17th Jul '25

£9.99

This title is due to be published on 17th July, and will be despatched as soon as possible.

Pity Party cover

Katherine lives by the rules, ticks all the boxes and prepares for the worst, even while she hopes for the best.

Then the worst actually happens and, as she tries to navigate life as a young widow, it turns out she was not prepared at all.

Nothing scares Katherine more than stopping, but everyone insists she needs to take some time for herself. Head to a wellness retreat, they said. Enjoy some me-time, they said...

Except this retreat isn't the pity party she was hoping for. Instead of massages, she has erotic meditation, and instead of spa treatments she has scream therapy.

Katherine has never lost control in her life. In fact, she's fairly certain that if she starts screaming she might never stop.

But she's about to let go, and everyone had better stand back...

Hilarious, heartbreaking and honest, this is a story about learning how to stop playing it safe in a world that feels so dangerous - and showing up to the party, even when it feels impossible.

What a read! What a tear jerker! But very funny, and written with such breezy wit, and characters I ADORED. Daisy is EXCELLENT. * Marian Keyes, author of AGAIN, RACHEL *
Pity Party is both deeply moving and very funny. A raw, honest exploration of love, loss, and the complexity of grief. I read it in one sitting. I loved it. * Louise O'Neill, author of IDOL *
Buchanan is such a terrific comic writer it makes this novel a joy to read. * I magazine *
Buchanan's best yet! Every page crackles with wit and every character deserves their own spin-off. As heartening as it is hilarious, Pity Party is a masterful portrait of grief, contemporary wellness culture and the ways we attempt to heal. It's the funniest book you'll read all year, and maybe the most beautiful too. * Lauren Bravo, author of PRELOVED *
This is one raw, honest and refreshingly hopeful read * Heat magazine *
Full of Daisy's trademark insight, wit, empathy and relatability, Pity Party is the perfect book for anyone who has ever felt as though they've made a mistake. Pity Party is perfection and I will happily devour every word Daisy ever writes. * Lindsey Kelk, author of LOVE ME DO *
I adore Daisy's voice - she's genuinely funny and intensely sensitive, no mean feat when the topic is as complicated as grief. I laughed, I cried, I screamed, I devoured every page. And it's stayed with me, I feel restored. Pity Party made me want to be brave. It's a laugh-out-loud balm. * Nikki May, author of WAHALA *
An honest, tender, captivating read * Bella *
Hilarious, moving and unexpected, PITY PARTY unfolded quite differently to how I was expecting. A lovely funny book. * Rebecca Wait, author of I'M SORRY YOU FEEL THAT WAY *
Daisy Buchanan makes me laugh out loud. * Katherine Heiny, author of STANDARD DEVIATION *
Pity Party is a standout novel - heartbreaking, observant, deeply relatable and impossibly funny. I laughed and cried and loved every moment. Her best yet; I envy anyone about to begin this wonderful book. * Rosie Walsh, author of THE MAN WHO DIDN'T CALL *
Wonderfully funny. Her best book yet. * Nina Stibbe, author of REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL *
Thought-provoking, charming, cathartic and hilariously vivid. I highlighted a million little passages and sentences and metaphors and jokes. I don't know how Daisy does it, but I'm so glad that she does. * Sarah Knight, author of THE LIFE-CHANGING MAGIC OF NOT GIVING A F**K *
The funniest novel about grief I've read. A tragi-rom-com dialled up so high it crackles with energy, humour, warmth, and quirk. I breezed through it! * Jenny Mustard, author of OKAY DAYS *
Pity Party is genius. It's my perfect book. It's full of light and darkness, it's hilarious and heartbreaking. It reminds me of Rachel's Holiday. It's painfully funny and often painful in an emotional way, but always unbelievably good. This is the best book I've read in ages - and Daisy's best book yet. I want everyone I know to read it so I can spend the next month talking about it. There are so many brilliantly funny moments, and so much to relate to. Katherine is such a likeable heroine - fully well-rounded and real and difficult and weird - but entirely loveable. I want her in my life full time. I really loved loved loved this book. * Lucy Vine, author of SEVEN EXES *
The writing is hilariously sharp yet at the same time poignant and heart-rending. Nobody writes about the messiness of life like Daisy. This is her best book yet and I absolutely ADORED it. * Julie Owen Moylan, author of THAT GREEN EYED GIRL *
Pity Party is a literary elixir that will lift you up, cheer you up and have you howling page after page. Daisy's writing races along, chapters fly by, it's smart, it's sexy and it will grab hold of your heart. I absolutely loved it. Bravo! * Jade Beer, author of THE LAST DRESS FROM PARIS *

In that way that you only experience with the very best writers, every line in this book is a wonder. Daisy made me feel everything. There are silly, laugh-out-loud, proper jokes in there - the setting is perfectly chosen for hilarity - but seconds after snorting over a Humpty Dumpty gag, I would realise tears were running down my face.
Mostly, I thought this was a very unique, very human story. In that way that you also only experience with the very best writers, I drew out the last few pages, knowing I would miss Pity Party in my life and that the next book on my list would have a lot to live up to. Gorgeous.

* Caroline Corcoran, author of THROUGH THE WALL *
Honestly, it's impossible not to fall for this book, and hard. It manages to be moving, funny and wise all at once, and Katherine is up there with the most lovable of literary heroines. * Kate Riordan, author of THE HEATWAVE *
A powerful, riveting and frequently hilarious novel about grief, identity and desire. Pity Party is original, moving and totally addictive. I absolutely loved this gorgeous book! * Roxy Bourdillon, DIVA Magazine *
Daisy Buchanan manages to make bereavement not only gloriously readable, but genuinely funny - without losing sight of real emotion. With a relatable heroine and a brilliant supporting cast of characters, this is Daisy's best yet. I tore through it. * Marina O'Loughin, JOURNALIST *
Pity Party is neatly done with some chuckles along the way; it's also a rather moving depiction of the horrible, ungovernable messiness of loss. * The Times *
Daisy Buchanan excels in bringing complex women to life, and she's outdone herself in the heartbreakingly beautiful Pity Party * Irish News *
Daisy writes beautifully and empathetically about real, flawed people and messy lives. I adored everyone in this novel. * Jennie Godfrey, author of THE LIST OF SUSPICIOUS THINGS *
Brilliant characters, a heartfelt story and lots of soul. Daisy's ability to bring characters to life and plot out brilliantly messy storylines is a gift. I loved this book * Fearne Cotton, author of SCRIPTED *

ISBN: 9781408725658

Dimensions: 198mm x 126mm x 22mm

Weight: unknown

368 pages