' The book of the summer ... Kept me rapt until the final page ' THE TIMES ' A sharp, smart, witty modern love story. I loved it ' David Nicholls, author of ONE DAY ' More than lives up to the hype ... Likely to fill the Sally-Rooney-shaped hole in many readers' lives ' IRISH TIMES ' Droll, shrewd and unafraid - a winning debut ' Hilary Mantel, author of WOLF HALL ' I've been pushing Exciting Times on everyone I know. Some of Dolan's pithy observations of her characters are the best I've read since Edward St Aubyn ' OBSERVER ' A frankly sensational book ' Pandora Sykes on THE HIGH LOW ' I n the tradition of Dorothy Parker, Joan Rivers and Nora Ephron ... I found myself purring with pleasure. ...This is comic writing at the highest level' Craig Brown, DAILY MAIL When you leave Ireland aged 22 to spend your parents' money, it's called a gap year. When Ava leaves Ireland aged 22 to make her own money, she's not sure what to call it, but it involves: - a badly-paid job in Hong Kong, teaching English grammar to rich children; - Julian, who likes to spend money on Ava and lets her move into his guest room; - Edith, who Ava meets while Julian is out of town and actually listens to her when she talks; - money, love, cynicism, unspoken feelings and unlikely connections. Exciting times ensue.