Hi All,

Happy Sunday! I’m sure for some, Sunday doesn’t mean a lot at the moment as all the days seem to be moulding into one. I hope that you’re all managing to find things to fill your time and calm your minds. I’ve struggled with reading the past week but got my mojo back this weekend when I read this book.

Book 📖

This was exactly what I needed right now, something to make me smile and laugh. Thank you to @AmazonPub and @NickSpalding for this ARC in return for an honest review. 

Logging Off is available for preorder here and is due to be published on 23rd April 2020. 

Description 🔖

Everyone is dependent on tech and the internet in one way or another nowadays but Andy Bellows has a diagnosed addiction to his tech. When he starts to suffer from some quite concerning physical ailments, he consults his doctor and the prescription is a digital detox; six weeks with no phone, no iPad, no internet. 

Andy doesn’t find this challenge easy, but soon starts to learn that there are benefits. Andy embarks on his detox with the hope of finding his own healthy balance in life and that doesn’t come without the odd hilarious sticky situation.

General Thoughts 🤔

I loved this story. It’s so relevant and I definitely don’t miss the irony that I read this book on my Kindle and I photographed the cover on my iPad, using my iPhone and I’m writing my review on my MacBook. We’re all so reliant on our devices but do we really have to be? How would life really be if it were all taken away? I think that there are a generation that would get by just fine, we grew up without it all just fine. But there are a generation that don’t know any different and would flounder.  

Andy’s struggles had me absolutely howling with laughter and really made me pause to think about how I personally would cope. How would I order an Indian Takeaway without the telephone number for the restaurant or the internet to google it? How would I get from A to B with the ability to avoid traffic and redirect without my many navigation apps on my iPhone? It’s funny to think about it but also worrying to me that one day, so many people will literally struggle to get through normal everyday situations if they didn’t have their tech. 

Characters 👫👭👬

Right from the off I fell in love with Andy. He reminded me so much of my partner (so no shock I loved him so much) and I think my partner could learn an awful lot from Andy. His sense of humour was fantastic but his vulnerabilities were what made me find him so endearing. 

I have to mention Colin and Wilberforce. How can I not?! What a duo. Every chapter including these characters had me laughing out loud. I have worked with so many Colins and so many Wilberforces (not literally, I mean WILBERFORCE?!) and I feel like although their characters may have been stereotypes, they were brilliant. 

Writing Style ✍🏽

The book is all written in the voice of Andy and it made me feel like I really knew this character and his personality and how he was feeling. The humour is so dry, so hilarious and it all felt very genuine. 

I loved that this book was light hearted and funny but I also loved how relevant it was and feel like it’s really got a message that all of us could pause and take note of. Just like Andy wasn’t intending to become the leader of the “loggers off”, I’m sure Nick Spalding hasn’t written this book solely to preach about the psychological and physiological benefits of a digital detox, but the message is there and it definitely made me ponder.

Conclusion & Scoring 🎖

Needless to say, I would 100% recommend this book to pretty much anyone. Especially given the current circumstances of the world we’re living in at this very moment. So many of us are dependent on our tech more than ever right now and it’s no bad thing as it’s helping many of us I’m sure. However it is about balance and ensuring that we use tech as a means to an end, not a full time crutch. I’m so grateful for this book and the smile it put on my face this weekend. 

😍😍😍😍😍