Ollie Sweet is not a halfway sort of guy. So when he decided to ask his girlfriend Samantha to marry him, he went all out. Knowing that she is a lover of roller coasters, he got tickets for the opening day of the new theme park and special tickets that meant they would be among the first to ride their roller coaster The Blitzer. He hired a band to play her favorite song after the ride, and he had the ring all ready to go. It was all perfect. Until it all went wrong.

First, the coaster almost made him sick to his stomach. Second, the band that he had booked wasn’t able to make it after all, and the replacement band wasn’t quite what he had in mind. And third, and most painfully for Ollie, Samantha said no. While an oompah band played on just for them. Well, just for him, as Samantha walked away.

When Ollie goes back to his job at a lifestyle website, his boss suggests he write about the breakup. Ollie refuses. There is no way he wants to share this with the internet. It was painful. It was humiliating. But if he did write about it, his subconscious hints, he could call the piece “Dumped, Actually,” a throwback to Richard Curtis’s famous film Love, Actually.

The piece Ollie writes is a big hit, and others who have struggled to get over a breakup start emailing him with advice of how their got over their failed relationships. The weeks (and articles) that ensue find Ollie taking that advice and getting a makeover (including getting waxed in intimate areas), going camping (and getting interrupted during an intimate moment by a family of hungry deer looking for a snack), trying to meet someone new (Nintendo’s Mario is forever ruined for me), and throwing himself into work (probably a bad idea to go golfing with your boss).

As Ollie keeps working down his list, he really does start to realize where he may have gone wrong. He continues to work through the advice—confronting Samantha, trying mindfulness, spending time with family, taking more risks, and when he’s ready, falling in love with someone new—and finds a whole new way of being in the world. He learns to be more authentic and less focused on comparing himself and his relationships with others.

And by sharing his experience with his website’s readers, he has found more friends and offered others the same chance at becoming a better partner in a relationship.

Author Nick Spalding brings a hilarious take on getting dumped in his latest novel, Dumped, Actually. Now, this one is not for the feint of heart. There are some very funny and deeply disturbing sex scenes (not 50 Shades type, just incredibly awkward), so you definitely be aware of that, and if you think you might be better off to skip this title. But if you’re willing to give it a shot, Dumped, Actually is a charming story of genuine characters trying to find a better life.

I listened to the audiobook on this one, and narrator Steve West seemed to have a lot of fun with Ollie’s voice. He tended towards the melodramatic with an almost Shatner-esque drama to the reading, but who doesn’t love William Shatner? I thought the audio was a great way to experience this book, and I do recommend giving that a try.

There were times that this reminded me of the ‘90s Britcom Coupling. If you liked watching Coupling, then this is a good choice for you. Funny, smart, an oompah band—what more could you want?

Galleys for Dumped, Actually were provided by Amazon Publishing UK through NetGalley, with many thanks, but I bought the audiobook myself, thanks to Audible.