Adelaide is a woman in her mid-twenties, an American living in London who is successfully pursing her career in communications. She meets Rory on a dating app, feels like he’s a perfect match and falls hard for him. Unfortunately, he’s noncommittal and inconsistent toward her,

What follows is a painful story of obsession, grief, mental health crises, loosing oneself.. there’s a lot of really raw emotion and painful content - please look out for trigger warnings.

While parts of Adelaide were poignantly written, relatable or moving, I didn’t love this book. There was a lot going on, it’s quite dark, and there’s just so much that happens to her and by her. It’s honestly quite a painful read. The format of the book, for me, didn’t do the storyline any favours.

I think that if you are well aware of what this book is about, set your expectations accordingly, and still want to read it - you may find it a beautiful read in its rawness and exploration of a woman finding her way through darkness.

Overall, an interesting read but not one I would recommend widespread. I think some will really connect with and enjoy this one.

Thank you very much to the publisher and to NetGalley for access to an e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Who doesn't love a good character driven, UK based, novel?

Twenty-six-year-old Adelaide is finishing her Master's degree in London when she meets, and falls head over heels for, Rory. What ensues is a very one-sided relationship, one that she manages while maintaining her close friendships and making advances in her career. Eventually, everything comes to a head and the reader learns whether Adelaide is able to overcome her demons.

There were a few things I really liked about this book. I loved the healthy female friendships, and how they stayed consistent throughout. The setting felt very authentic, and I personally love reading books set in the UK. I also like how raw and unique Adelaide's character is. She made me furious, physically cringing at time, and I wanted to write her off as just a pathetic girl. But the truth is we have all been young, pathetic and misguided, and she was actually quite authentic in that way. While maybe not to that extent, it likely is a painful look in the mirror for many of us! I do think her behaviour would have been more believable if she was in her teens or early 20s.

This was such a character driven novel, yet I found Adelaide's character to be inconsistent at times. Every human contains multitudes, and can excel in some areas while struggling in others, but the lack of consistency kept taking me out of the story. There were many times when we were told she was a certain way (e.g., ambitious, cries easily) yet her behaviours up to that point didn't show it. While we got some chapters from Rory's perspective for backstory, I don't feel that he ever fully made sense either. The 'tragedy' did not work for me at all. I'll avoid spoilers, but a more realistic reason for his grief would have helped. I also had some trouble with how the dialogue was written, and the switch between limited and omniscient POV.

This is one of those books I really wish I could have been a part of the editing process for. Wheeler is a talented writer with a unique character, it just needed a little more to bring it all together. Overall, it's definitely one to read if you enjoy character driven, literary novels a la Sally Rooney. It is released April 18th, 2023 so look for it then!

There are many trigger warnings with this one, so be sure it is for you before reading.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Genevieve Wheeler for this ARC. It was a pleasure to read and offer feedback on.

this book DESTROYED me in the best way. the female friendship was my favorite and really warmed my heart. Rory literally has zero redeeming qualities and i wish it didn’t spend so much time on him.

I was really blown away by this book. The writing is so compelling I couldn't put it down. Rory is written so well, he's easy to fall in love with and toxic. Check all the trigger warnings, but I highly recommend.

💐 Adelaide - Genevieve Wheeler

4 ⭐️- A story about grief, love, friendship, finding yourself, and mental health struggles. Honestly, there’s something for everyone to identify with in this book. I was happy, sad, angry, annoyed, and excited all at different times through this story. Adelaide surprised me and I think she’ll surprise others too.

Adelaide is a 26 year old American girl, fresh out of graduate school, living in London. She meets the man of her dreams, finds job opportunities, and travels, but is that enough? When Rory, her man, is struck with tragedy, Adelaide does everything she can to hold him together, but is it worth losing herself? How do you keep yourself together when the ones you love are falling apart?

As a debut, this was really good and I did enjoy it. At times it read like a memoir of Adelaide and I felt I could really connect with her. Other times, I felt sad or angry for her. This is not your typical love story, it’s much deeper than that. It had an important message about finding yourself, the important of mental health, and is incredibly raw and honest about romantic relationships.

Thank you Netgalley, St Martin Press, and Macmillan Audio for the advanced reader copy and audiobook!

This was a very interesting story. It's sort of romance but not the traditional romance. The author addresses a lot - issues mainly dealing with mental health and some things were quite triggering. This was raw and real and relatable and deals with first love, complex relationships and so much more. This would make an excellent book club discussion book. Don't go into it expecting a traditional romance. This was a powerful story but I'm still unsure what I thought. I couldn't put it down but I was also screaming at it - it invoked a lot of emotions.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy. Opinions are my own.

I truly don’t get the hype surrounding this story. I hated the narrative and the dialogue formatting just made me mad. I never knew if the characters were conversing or if we were internal. The timelines were all over the place; I couldn’t put it together.


I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Adelaide is a 26 year old American living in London with her fellow American friends, and dating, to her own detriment. She meets Rory on a dating app, and he seems like a bookish, British, Disney prince. To be honest, I fell in love with damn Rory Hughes too. Because he seems so perfect in the beginning, Adelaide clings to this fantasy of their being 'meant to be', even as he is an anxious-avoidant toxic mess. He experiences a personal loss, and Adelaide gives every inch of herself to hold him together. As she pieces his life back for him, she falls apart.
Can we take a moment for this COVER? It is absolutely beautiful and is art I would actually hang on my walls. The cover and title were the main reasons I picked this one up, but I'm so glad I did. Adelaide is a hopeless romantic, cosmic fate, invisible strings girlie - and reminded me of my younger self in some ways. This is an ode to people who are constantly giving but never receiving. I wanted to just wrap her up in a hug and let her know it would all be okay. And I loved the female friendships in this book, I really want to infiltrate their friend group! Be warned: This. Is. Not. A. Romance. Novel. Please check the trigger and content warnings for this one, as there are a lot.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.
ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

First things first, this is absolutely not a love story. I feel like some people will be misled by the description of the book, be disappointed and miss the real story happening. Second, my god, I needed this book when I was in my twenties. Adelaide reminds me so much of myself, especially who I was at that point in my life. I have a feeling some readers will get frustrated with her and want to shake her (which, I get), but for me, I just wanted to give her a hug and have a cry together. I thought this book gave a really good look and insight at mental illness and relationships. I really liked that we got a little bit of Rory’s POV (even though I wanted to punch him), but not so much that it overshadowed or encroached on Adelaide’s space. This book deals with a lot of heavy topics so as usual, I highly recommend making sure you’re in the right headspace for it. Also, this is absolutely more of a character driven novel than plot driven. I think some people might not connect with it and that’s okay, but I absolutely loved this book. I’m so happy I read it. I got so much out of it.
TW: sexual assault, mental illness, suicide attempt, miscarriage

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

In some of the early reviews I read about “Adelaide” were admonishments that this is not a romance or a love story with cute banter and a guaranteed happily-ever-after. And, honestly, that is what drew me into this layered, nuanced, haunting, emotional telling of a young woman who thinks she’s in love. As the story progresses, we feel the turmoil she experiences over questions of how do you know your love is being returned, what truly is a love-based partnership, and what happens when one person falls too far in love and towards possible self-humiliation? Where do you end it and how do you survive? Unfortunately, from the first chapter we know this will not be a happy adventure.

Adelaide is a young American in London who has never been in love and finds herself pining after Rory, a guy who often ghosts her, seems less than honest about his own life, but seems to be her “Disney prince” as he delivers the requisite compliments to get her in bed. As Adelaide continues to describe her relationship, there’s a pervasive sense of dread. She’s not a totally naive innocent, she’s had more than her share of disappointing relationships, she’s familiar with familial mental illness,and she has some supportive friends (“try to focus on the things you can control here, you know?”), yet she can’t find the strength to snap out of what appears to be a toxic romance. We learn something about Rory, too — he is terrible at commitment and has already driven away the person he thought was the love of his life.

Adelaide is an incredibly well-constructed character and the author has mastered the craft of creating a fully realized person. You sympathize with and want to yell at Adelaide — she’s become a flawed friend, but a friend worth keeping.what a terrific debut novel! 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES Rory has sparkling green eyes, and Adelaide’s have green specks.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO The author obviously appreciates peonies.

This book was amazing. The author spoke about mental health truthfully and was not afraid to breach hard topics. Going to be one of my recommendations to others this year

This debut novel from Genevieve Wheeler is not a romance, but a very real and raw what not to do. Adelaide is a young American in London, with dreams and ambition, not looking for love until she finds Rory on a dating app. She believed in this: In beauty and grace and enchantment. The dysfunction in this relationship, the desperation, self destruction and low self esteem was so real, that it just made me sad. Please girls, you deserve better! This isn’t love.
Can Brennan show her what love is?
Thanks to Genevieve Wheeler, Net Galley and St Martin’s Press for this ARC. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.

Adelaide is a Boston girl living in London. She meets and falls in love with a British boy named Rory. Happily ever after? Not exactly. See, Rory is still hung up on his ex; which makes him very hot and cold with Adelaide, who's moods sometimes depend entirely on whether or not Rory is treating her well. This is a story about a girl who learns her worth, but man does it take her a while to get there.

I loved this book. Absolutely could not put it down. Adelaide was frustrating but loveable and you can't help but want to either protect her or shake her and tell her to run far far away from Rory. And who out there hasn't had their own Rory? There were so many times I could put myself in her shoes that I had to stop and reflect on whether or not my family felt the same way about me that Adelaide's friends and family do about her. Kind of a kick in the teeth; but still. This is a book that will break your heart and put you back together. Easily my favorite of the year.

Okay, don't come for me. I liked Adelaide. There were parts that I really resonated with, parts that I remember living through myself. I think this was a case of right book wrong time for me, because I loved Adelaide. I am Adelaide at times. And the cover is GORGEOUS. But something just didn't sit right with me. I DNFed at 64% with the intention of picking it up again. It's not you, its' me Adelaide.

First off I'd like to start off by saying this book has lots of triggers, so I'd suggest reading up on those before diving into this book. Right out the gate we have an attempted suicide and suicidal ideations. But I will say this author and this book gives a good representation of someone suffering from depression, like how the person isn't always sad, they have happy moments too, and they do love their life. They just want an escape when moments become overwhelming and their cup has run empty. However, to describe this book as a love story is a severe misrepresentation in a traditional romance book. Rory and Adelaide did not have a beautiful romance. The book ends with a happy ending, but for the most part throughout this book Adelaide was abused. This is a heavy book.

The lack of quotation during dialogue bothered me. It was hard at times to distinguish if it was the person's thought or spoken out loud in conversation.

I did enjoy the format of how the plot was laid out for us. We start off with a tragedy at the very beginning of the book and then we go back in time to see how we got to this tragic situation. I always enjoy when books and shows use this form of foreshadowing. Overall, I can't say I'd readily recommend this book.


TW: suicide, grief, mental health, death, miscarriage, infertility, sexual abuse, mental abuse.

**Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an advanced copy of this book and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion. I am posting this review to my Goodreads account immediately and will post it to my Amazon & Instagram accounts upon publication.

I loved this book so much it hurts to even think about. It was a book that was painful to read because I felt like I was reading diary entries. I felt like I was reading about myself and my experiences. It was like looking in a mirror and being faced with the hard truth of your reality.

Because of that, it took me a little longer than usual to get through it, but that was because of my own personal insecurities and issues.

Adelaide is a flawed protagonist who you want to shake - she deserves so much better than Rory gives her. I wanted to scream that it wasn't going to work out, that Rory is not who she thinks he is, that he is not who she needs. I knew that I was right because I've had my own Rory Hughes... I've had a few if I'm being honest.

Her view of relationships are deeply flawed because of the trauma she has been through, so you can't blame her. And even when she's frustrating, you're rooting for Adelaide because you know her heart is good; she is a dedicated worker, a good friend, and a fantastic partner.

When things finally come to a head between Adelaide and Rory, when the floor falls out from both of them and you are brought back down to earth, it feels like everything is lighter and you can clearly see the light at the end of the tunnel the way Adelaide starts too.

The ending was beautiful and it was something I saw coming all throughout the book, but it made my heart sing. It made me cry, both with happiness and utter relief. If Adelaide was ok then maybe I was going to be ok too.

Adelaide, at the surface, is about a girl who is looking to care and love someone, and for someone to do the same for her. It's about growing up, finding your own way and learning to live in this world without the security blanket. It's also about mental health, how you can bring yourself so close to the edge and don't know which way to fall.

It's emotional, funny, heartbreaking and heartwarming, all at the same time. It will teach you something you weren't aware you needed to learn.

The writing was outrageous; I honestly can't believe these words came from someone's brain... Wheeler is an artist. Adelaide is unlike anything I've ever read. It reads like literary fiction, which in my opinion, is always a little difficult to follow because I feel like I need an English teacher deciphering the words, but not Adelaide; and I say that with the utmost respect.

It was poetic in the nature of the writing but it was easy to read, easy to follow and you didn't feel lost. It was the best of both worlds.

If you need a good book with incredible writing, a good message and a fun setting (London, hello!) you will love Adelaide. Even if you're unsure if you'll like it, try it. It might surprise you!

Oh wow. This book was so special. It was beautiful and heartbreaking and it's going to stay with me for a long, long time. Most of us at some point in our lives have given our hearts, bodies, even our souls to the wrong person and tried so very hard to make it work...to make them love us back. This book is THAT to the nth degree. Adelaide is such a loveable character that I wanted to take her in my arms and tell her how special was and deserving of so much more than she was getting. The female friendships depicted in this book are some of the best I've ever read. I highly recommend this book. Content warnings include mental health, suicide, emotional and sexual abuse.

A beautiful story that deals with a romantic relationship but is truly about mental health and the importance of taking care of yourself and not losing yourself to other people. There are definitely trigger warnings present here but for those who can safely read this book, it’s a beautiful story about life.

Ahhhh Adelaide! I want to wrap you up in a hug and shelter you away from everything that ever broke your heart! This book was a tough one to start. Beginning on a depressive note is a big hurdle to get over for someone who likes reading romance books, but I hope that anyone that picks this book up presses on. In a way, Adelaide is a coming-of-age story much more than a romance (even though I promise you get your HEA). At 26, Adelaide is living in London balancing work, being everything for her boyfriend Rory, and desperately wanting to feel whole and worthy of love. The story is written in third person POV, mostly from Adelaide’s perspective and using italics instead of quotes. I enjoyed this way of reading because I felt like I was listening in to Adelaide conversing and thinking instead of having her tell me. It allowed for musings on Adelaide and other character’s future interactions, thoughts, and misgivings where first person wouldn’t have allowed.

From the beginning we know Adelaide has reached her rock bottom and the story goes back in time to walk the reader through what led her to this point. We meet Adelaide’s friend group, ex boyfriend, coworkers, Rory, and other meaningful characters that impact her life. I loved Eloise the most—she is the best kind of friend—loyal, sympathetic, and she truly loves Adelaide. A found family of sorts, it’s Adelaide’s girl friends that help her and encourage her the most. If anything, this book is about how friends lift us up and are the biggest support of all.
Be warned, there is so much heartache in this book. Even from the moment Adelaide gets her first boyfriend, there is pain. I would definitely check all content warnings before reading, but if you enjoy a book that hurts you to read because the main character is so raw and vulnerable, then Adelaide definitely fits the bill. One thing I would’ve liked more of is the “after” (the book is broken into sections of before, during, and after a certain event). After is where there is growth and hope and redemption. The Epilogue felt like a beginning instead of an end and I would’ve liked seeing more of this side of Adelaide. Little hints are dropped along the way to Adelaide’s happy ever after and I guess I wanted the person she shared this with to get more of a voice.

Genevieve Wheeler has written a heartrending debut of what it’s like to become emotionally attached in your twenties to someone that may not be your perfect match. Adelaide tackles mental health, falling in love, loss, and fear of being unlovable. I expect more great things from this author. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

CW: death of a friend, alcohol use, attempted suicide, sexual trauma, ghosting, bipolar and mental disorders discussed, prescription med use/abuse, miscarriage

WOW..this book was so beautiful and so sad. Lots of trigger warnings and super heavy topics on top of a toxic relationship. Adelaide is such a real character and I was so invested in her story, I cannot stop thinking about it! I will say this book will not be for everyone, but I HIGHLY recommend.