Twenty-one Truths About Love follows the life of Dan via the daily lists he writes. You learn about his fears, anxieties, childhood, marriage and daily thoughts. This book is humorous and cute, easy to follow and surprisingly has a great character arc and plot line. You have to interpret read, make judgements and form your own opinions about Dan and his life in a way that is entirely different than any other book I've read. The book has a bit of a slow start, but once it picks up I promise you won't put the book down until you're done. I promise, get through the beginning and you'll love it as much as I did.

I didn't know what to expect from a book told entirely in lists, but was pleasantly surprised. It was fun to piece things together along the way based on how they popped up on various lists. I began to really feel for Daniel as I felt his anxiety rise throughout the book, and it causes just the right amount of frustration as he makes the choices he does. The end wrapped up very quickly and easily compared to the pacing of the rest of the book, so I didn't love that. It's a very different kind of read and quite enjoyable though.

I received this ARC through Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Netgalley.com, to St. Martins Press, and to Matthew Dicks for the opportunity.

This book was written entirely in list format, which is a very unusual style for a novel. Although the lists were amusing, I had a hard time getting into this book. I would read it here and there when I had a moment instead of feeling like I couldn't put it down. All in all, I would consider it an interesting and unique read and would encourage readers to try it if they are in the mood for something different.

Quirky and cute book written entirely in list form. Gets points for being unique and setting up a good story but loses some for getting a little bogged down in a man's view of pregnancy and children and such.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Funny, “Lad Lit” book written entirely in Lists. Literally — there are no words to help move the story along that is not embedded in one of Daniel Mayrock (our Lead Lad) many, many, lists. And it works! It’s like one long stand-up comedy routine that nevertheless manages to convey good messages about love, asking for help, forgiveness, trust, and growing into a better person.

4.5 Stars

Seven years ago I read Matthew Dicks ‘Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend’ and loved it, so I was anxious to check out his latest, ’Twenty-one Truths About Love.’

While the idea of a novel written entirely in lists sounds a bit out of the ordinary, the reality is that this one allows the reader to slowly get to know Daniel Mayrock, his personal insecurities about his marriage to Jill, the potential success (or failure) of his bookshop, bills – that are now more imposing since he left his teaching position, as well as his outlook on life and the way we often fail at maintaining the love and life we had envisioned for ourselves and those we love. And, of course, he makes lists of the way he feels he’s failing. And then, when he sees their bank accounts draining away, and feeling guilty over their pending financial disaster from crashing their dreams, Jill’s dream of having a baby is just beginning to come true. Of course, this sends Daniel into somewhat of a tailspin, questioning his worth as a husband, future father, especially since his father abandoned him as a child. Adding to this is the specter of Jill’s deceased first husband, whose presence is strongly felt, and to whom Daniel is sure he can never measure up.

More charming than this is sad, there are moments of humour throughout, and characters that enter into Daniel’s life add some much needed, fatherly moments of advice that remind him that after all, what truly matters is love.


Pub Date: 19 Nov 2019


Many thanks for the ARC provided by St. Martin’s Press

I loved this book! As a recovering list maker and worrier, this book was so easy to fall into. It's easy to read, his inner dialogue was hysterical yet serious at times and it's so relatable for everyone. I love finding a book that anyone can read and this is one of those! Halfway through I wanted to e mail the other just to say "hi, your book is insanely good and so glad I'm not the only person on the planet who rehearses things in their head."
This book is in short a chronicle written by Dan, husband of Jill. Dan was a schoolteacher which didn't suit him, so he's bought a bookstore and Jill is still teaching. They met at school. Jill is also a widow which adds so much to this story. When she gets pregnant again the story makes these wonderful and very real turns in Dan's thought process. The business is floundering and is Dan's biggest worry. Comic relief is his decision to play bingo in hopes of winning money to refill the coffers of their dwindling savings, which of course he hides from Jill.
Throw in a secondary character he meets at bingo and this book just sent me over the moon!
Stellar work Matthew, I absolutely loved this book!

thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc for an honest review

The title of the book had me intrigued from the start and then I open it to see it is all written in "list" form. At first, I was hesitant...and then became a little annoyed...but mid-way through found myself in love with the rhythm of the lists and the storyline.
I thought the way of telling this story was so unique and Matthew Dicks writing allowed it to flow where you felt yourself a part of the story and not as if you were reading lists. The man character Dan could be frustrating at times but wow...you suddenly find yourself rooting full force for him. My fav part was the monthly spending and could you FEEL his personal pressure about their finances! I don't know if I could read another book in this format- but this one worked. Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Twenty One Truths About Love was a creative book comprised entirely of lists. I'm a big fan of lists in life, thought, and apparently books. Clever idea. It was a little dry and dragging in a few areas, but overall I enjoyed this.

Irresistible fun! Even as you fear a novel entirely composed of lists could run creatively dry all too soon, TWENTY-ONE TRUTHS proves you wrong. This novel is a creative delight on many, many levels.

Thank you to the author and publisher for providing me with a digital ARC of this title via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Reasons I loved this book
1. Creative writing style
2. Interesting characters
3. Good story- even without paragraphs and chapters..
4. Humorous
5. Touching

Reasons I didn't like this book
1. Language- some swearing and vulgarity
2. Frequent and unnecessary F-words
3. Stupid decisions
4. Sometimes I didn't like the character and wanted to yell at him

Twenty-one Truths About Love is told, narratively, through lists.. The lists often contain one side of a conversation and allow the reader to infer the rest. Clever, but not that far from an epistolary novel. As to the substance (not style) of the novel, it's a humorous exploration of the protaganist's relationships, anxieties, and pet peeves (those are lots of fun!). I truly enjoyed the book and recommend it to readers.

I tried to read this book several times, but didn't get very far. The format just didn't agree with me. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

I ADORE this title! The inner workings of Dan's mind are eerily similar to my own. He voiced questions we all have, but are too afraid to answer. I enjoyed the snippets of his day and how similar bookstores are to libraries. There were many quotable passages and I look forward to recommending this to my list-making friends.

I’ll update this with the review as it gets closer to the publication date. I will say now that I loved it and the unique format brought joy to my Post-It loving heart.

I loved this book! Definitely a quick read. Very quirky and funny. Even heart warming and romantic at times, especially the end. The whole book is in list format, but I ended up loving this. I really liked Dan. Even with his judgmental attitude (I could relate, haha!). I found myself highlighting and taking pictures of some lists and sent them to a friend. Many laugh at loud moments. Highly recommend!
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

If you put a pile of books on the cover of a book, then it will pull me in. If you write a book about owning a bookstore, it will also get my attention. If you write your book as a series of lists, it will attract my organization side. And if you are seriously a funny writer like Matthew Dicks, then I will definitely read your book.
This book written as a series of lists had me laughing out loud at several points. I enjoyed it and it seemed very realistic to me at least 99% of the time. I don't want to give spoilers so you'll just have to read it yourself.

I loved this book. The list style was unique but gave the book a warm and honest feeling. Beautiful.

Dan quit his teaching job to run a bookstore, but things aren't going at all how he planned. His wife's pregnant, their savings are dwindling, and they might lose their house. Mixed in with all his anxiety about becoming a new father are his feelings about his own father who abandoned him and Jill's 1st husband whom he fears he will never live up to. Will Dan fail at fatherhood as spectacularly as he seems to be failing at running his own business and being a good husband who can take care of his wife?

This book is written entirely in the form of lists: one-sided transcripts of text and phone conversations, things that annoy Dan, thoughts about his employees, number of days he's gone without certain junk foods, and crazy money-making schemes to help save him from financial ruin. This is definitely an interesting way to tell a story, but I'm not entirely convinced it was an effective one. For me, it didn't feel like enough. I was continually left with questions and wanting to know more when it came to actual plot points about Dan's life, and the novelty of a list of random thoughts (or of their monthly spending) wore off pretty quickly. There were parts where I liked how much I was able to glean about an interaction between Dan and his wife just by reading her side of it, but I still felt like I was only able to scratch the surface of getting to know these characters.

I was most interested in the budding friendship between Dan and Bill, a Vietnam vet he meets in a bingo hall who is a crotchety old man with a big heart. Dan comes up with a completely insane idea to save his business, and when he gets into trouble, it's Bill he goes to for help. Bill has no patience for BS and tells it like it is, but he is there for Dan when he needs him. It was impossible not to fall in love with this guy, and even through the lists, there were some lovely, heartwarming moments as Bill meets Jill and their new baby. But still. It was like seeing these characters through a fogged-up window...you get the basic idea, but you can't really SEE them.

The lists were an interesting approach, for sure. And for a lot of readers who really only need to know the basic facts and quick plot points, maybe this would be a great way to tell a story: by just hitting the highlights. For me, I like to get a little deeper into who the characters are, and I just couldn't get that out of this format. I wonder how I would feel about the story if it had been written in prose.

**Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!**

I received a digital Advance Reader Copy through NetGalley.

The format (lists) was difficult for me to follow at first, but in the end, they told a sweet story.
I felt all of Dan's emotions.