1. I love lists
2. I love books
3. I loved this unique style of story-telling
4. I love quick reads
5. I thought I knew how the book would resolve
6. I was wrong
7. I didn't enjoy the ending
8. Everything wrapped up in a perfect little bow
.
.
.
(Slight spoilers below)
8. I don't appreciate people getting away with things with no consequences
9. White Male Privilege

I loved the concept of this book - a story written completely in lists. And the format did work to tell a story. But the narrator’s pessimistic tone and self-defeating actions wore on me and made me feel annoyed not sympathetic towards him. I couldn’t finish the book.

I think this is going to be one of those love it or hate it books for many people. I am in the love camp because the concept was original and I will always appreciate an author that isn't afraid to be creative and different. When this effort is well-executed, even better. Matthew Dicks gives us a flawed hero and unveils him in all his imperfection throughout a series of lists, that are sometimes mundane, sometimes funny, other times thought-provoking, and even heart-breaking. I feel like this book will be best enjoyed in paper format; there is something about ebooks that makes we want to speed through, and this is the kind of book that forces you to slow down in order to enjoy it. I also see this book as a great option for book clubs: with all the lists, it begs for discussion whether it's about the isolated pieces or the story that unfolds.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'll answer a couple of questions a potential reader may have about this book: first, is it really written entirely in the form of lists? Second, why lists? Well, our narrator, Dan, was seeing a therapist before the book takes place, and the therapist wanted Dan to keep a journal as a therapy tool. Dan didn't want to keep a journal, and the compromise was making lists. He no longer sees the therapist, but the list-making stuck. His lists often border on journal-ish entries, which is why this works. Also, it's not a bad idea- the thought of keeping a journal has always intimidated me, though I've always wanted to keep one, so I may try this instead. But I digress...
Dan is kind of an idiot. He's not horrible, but he's not the most likeable person either. What he is, however, is very human, and very relatable. He's in his late thirties, has quit his teaching job, and opened a book shop, which isn't doing as well as he tells his wife it is. He lives in fear that he'll never be as good as his wife's deceased first husband, and lives in the shadow of his successful brother. His father left when Dan was a child, and he hasn't spoken to his father since, which understandably messes with his head. He worries about the family finances constantly, while keeping their financial problems a secret from his wife, trying to think of ways to make money without her knowing about it. Then his wife becomes pregnant, and he gets desperate- what will he do?
I ended up really enjoying this book- it's a quick, easy read, it's funny at times, and at times makes you want to either smack Dan upside the head, or hug him and tell him things will be okay (sometimes both). The characters are surprisingly well developed for people who only appear on lists, and Dan does grow, despite remaining an idiot for much of the book. The format of the story is unusual, but it totally works here. A kind of addictive read, hard to put down, but easy to pick back up if you do.

WOW! This was such a fun "story" to read! Matthew Dicks' character Dan lives his life through his lists, and those lists all added together compose a delightful tale of a man, his self-esteem, his marriage, his family, and his friend. I have never read a book written in such an untraditional way, and I loved it!

This story will appeal to all who identify with those that are struggling a little bit with past decisions made, and wondering how to cope with the life ahead of them. This is a story of love and friendship. It would make a great vacation read, as it's easy to put the book down after reading several lists, and pick it up again without having to reread.

I was given an advanced readers copy in exchanges for my honest review. This book, or list, was the strangest thing I have ever seen and I loved it!! A book about a husband, trying to protect his wife from the down and puts about life, work and money becomes a strange book you absolutely can not put down. Daniel has decided to open a bookstore and after his wife, Jill, gets pregnant he sees the money flying out the window. He meets some rather interesting characters through his adventures and becomes a dad to a beautiful little girl who he would give the world. Not a conventional book at all but I could not put it down! Great jon!

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of the novel. This was a different style and genre for me. It was an at times humorous read wading through the lists. Many of the lists had real life issues underlying the self depreciating humor. This was an ok read for me overall.

I received an ARC of this novel from St. Martin's Press and Netgalley in exchange for my review. When I first looked at the description of this story told in lists, I wasn't thinking that it would be a style I would enjoy reading-boy was I wrong! OK, so this story is completely told in lists that our main character, Daniel Mayrock has created. When I first started reading I thought maybe there would just be a few lists at the beginning and then a narrative would break out-nope-this book is totally written in lists. The lists are painfully honest, at times hysterical and heartbreaking and they always left me with the impression wondering how Matthew Dicks was able to write this?
It was so totally creative and unique that I ended up reading many of the lists aloud to my husband and we would both laugh at how honest and funny they were. Do Not miss reading this one! Suspend your doubt that a book of lists could tell a story. The story they tell is fantastic. This will be my most recommended book for next fall!

Lists tend to be rather orderly, but life generally isn't, which is demonstrated through the narrative crafted from one man's lists in Twenty-One Truths About Love: A Novel by Matthew Dicks.

Dan Mayrock writes lots of lists, with many of them including Jill, the wife he loves, his despair over their finances, particularly as it relates to viability of his newly opened bookshop, and his thoughts on starting their family. When their savings dwindles to nearly nothing, Jill becomes pregnant, forcing Dan to either confide in Jill about their monetary situation or find some way to do something about it. Opting for the latter option, Dan frantically researches ways to make a large amount of money quickly, without seeking input from friends or family. Devising an outlandish plan alongside a stressful development in Jill's pregnancy, Dan manages to succeed at his caper, only to experience instant regret, leading him toward a better way to cope with life's difficulties.

An ordinary story with extraordinary elements was conveyed in an unconventional manner in this novel. The lists, by nature and by the specifics of what they contained, created an intimate feeling while reading this story, making it easy to relate to - some of Dan's opinions are spot on with some I have. I both did and didn't enjoy some of the repetition of list items throughout the development of the narrative; the recurring lists were helpful to demonstrate growth in thinking but some of the repeated information felt a bit less intentional and perhaps was an oversight in editing (along with what I'm assuming was a file issue from NetGalley where two months were transposed in the text). The major plot point of the story slowly built to an explosive execution, but the wrap-up of this was far too quick and contained no real consequences, which seemed too unbelievable in comparison with the rest of the narrative.

Overall, I'd give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

1. Daniel (Dan) Mayrock is not always a lovable narrator, but he is scarily relatable at times.
2. His wife Jill is likely a saint.
3. Dan’s love of books is charming; his lack of research before opening a book shop is not.
4. Matthew Dicks created a compulsively readable novel with a unique narrative format with Twenty-one Truths About Love.
5. I’d like to write all of my reviews in list form moving forward.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the writer, and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

I wanted to love this book! As a compulsive list-maker, this innovative format really spoke to me. Also, a plug from one of my favorite authors made it even more attractive. It was a quick read with a relatable character behind the lists. I did laugh out loud a few times, but I also found myself skimming through a few sections toward the end (particularly the section in May—not giving any spoilers.) The book was written chronologically by month but my copy (downloaded and probably not a final version) contained a short section from June whic preceded the May section, and it threw me off. I’m still not sure if that was intentional or not. I realize after having read the book that it’s really hard to build a multi-dimensional story with lists alone — no dialogue, no narration. And yet, the author did bring his story and several characters to life. All in all, I did not love it as much as I had hoped I would but I liked it enough. If you’re up for something totally different and not looking for a long read, this book fits the bill.

I had to stop reading this book because it’s one tedious list after another, and I couldn’t read another list. . Skimming the rest of the book didn’t help either.

I could see the potential of this book but it didn’t deliver. An entire story told in the form of one man’s lists.

Dan has quit his job as a teacher and has opened up a bookstore. Dan keeps a lot of things from his wife, such as his plans on NOT getting her pregnant when she’s planning on having kids, how the bookstore is not making any money, draining their savings and how he really feels about his wife’s ex-husband who has passed away.

The one major plot point (won’t mention is because it’s a big spoiler) felt a little jarring compared to the rest of the story. It’s mentioned throughout the entire story but then all of a sudden it’s rushed and tied up too quickly without any consequence.

It was a cute afternoon read but it lacked.

Twenty-One Truths About Love is the first book I’ve read from Matthew Dicks. This contemporary novel is told in a story of lists. The protagonist uses lists as a therapeutic exercise. I had pretty high hope for this novel as Taylor Jenkins Reid (one of my favorite all-time authors) loved this book, however, I didn’t like it all. I liked the format, however, I found the main character to be extremely unlikable and couldn’t sympathize for him at all. He was just a bitter old man who could have made better choices in life. There were a few times where I wanted to not finish the book, but kept reading hoping it would get better. As I read, the story got progressive worse as it was getting pretty repetitive and dense. I ended up skimming most of it as it seemed like half the novel was fluff. I would definitely skip this book at all costs.