Noni Blake knows she wants more: more adventures, more joy, more romance, more orgasms, more pleasure…more everything. Now she just has to figure out how to get it.
Noni didn’t expect to be starting over at the age of thirty-six. But eighteen months after the end of her long-term relationship, she decides it’s time to start living her life again.
While an encounter with a sexy firefighter is a welcome entry back into the dating world, Noni soon realises she’s looking for more than just a series of brief, pleasurable encounters. She’s looking for more pleasure in, well, everything.
That’s how she finds herself travelling to Europe to track down the one that got away: the alluring, elusive Molly. But Europe may have other surprises in store…
INTERVIEWS and REVIEWS
3RRR: Explore (1:45:00)
3RRR: Backstory
ABC Radio National: The Drawing Room
Age
Book Reccos (podcast)
Books + Publishing
Courier-Mail ($)
First Time podcast
MamaMia
My Mate Reckons (podcast)
Nerd Daily
Publishers Weekly
Readings
Readings: Leanne Hall: My five favourite reads of 2020
Sydney Morning Herald: Summer reading: 13 books to take your mind off 2020
Wheeler Centre
‘A laugh-out-loud romantic comedy about learning to fall in love with yourself, first and foremost. Noni Blake is the flirtatious, foul-mouthed, and flawed heroine you’ve been searching for—think Bridget Jones meets Queer as Folk. Claire Christian writes with fierce kindness and protectiveness over her readers; there’s no way you’ll finish this story without feeling better about yourself. This book is an antidote to complacency; Noni will inspire you to fight for the life and love you deserve, even if who you’re fighting against is yourself.’
‘For anyone who’s woken up heart-bruised and hungover, wondering when the compass called “adulthood” is supposed to start pointing in the right direction, meet Noni Blake, your new superhero guide. This book is a joyous and hilarious romp around the world and back. Sexy in all the right places and squirm-inducing in all the others. Christian is a must-read author for anyone who loves their rom-coms real and utterly binge-able.’
‘The dialogue is preppy, fun and sharp…I wanted to jump inside the world Christian has created…This is an all-round feel-good read, and utterly charming.’
‘This is a frank and funny novel that is refreshingly, unabashedly, queer and inclusive. Noni is many things: witty, self-deprecating, fat, loving, considerate, and bisexual; and the fact that Christian has managed to include almost every iteration of the LGBTQIA+ spectrum into this delightful book without making it A Book About Being Queer is actually kind of radical. For readers struggling through a quarter-life crisis, a Saturn rising, a breakup, a tough year, It’s Been a Pleasure, Noni Blake is the romantic comedy you want to lose yourself in. As Noni embarks on her life-changing pursuit of pleasure, you’re taken along on a joyous, absurd, and sex-filled ride. But, underneath it all, there is a great depth of feeling.’
‘Noni’s comic voice is so refreshing, so endearing…I truly felt a bit bolder after reading this book…It felt pleasurable—and we can all do with a bit more pleasure.’
‘A funny, engaging, and light-hearted story…I recommend it to anyone who is in desperate need of a holiday (or a mental escape at least), or a bit of saucy fun mixed with disaster people. I assure you, you won’t regret it one bit!’
‘A vibrant story of self discovery…Both a celebration of pleasure and a dissection of the restrictions people place on their own lives, this is sure to capture readers’ hearts.’
‘The perfect rom-com book to carry with you as you take your mind off 2020. It is so comforting to read a story about a queer, single woman in her 30s, seeking out whatever makes her feel good. I laughed out loud countless times.’
‘This book’s amazing. This is hilarious…If you thought Bridget Jones needed more smut, this is for you.’
‘All in all, this is a highly entertaining and effervescent romp, that also manages to encompass the type of deep self-reflection and learning that comes when life requires big changes from a person.’