I didn't know going into this book that it would give me the same yearning, nostalgic feeling that I got the first time I read Normal People, or the first time I watched 500 Days of Summer. Adelaide made me suddenly feel like a young girl on the brink of the rest of her life. Penny Lane whispering in my ear "It's all happening." And then delivering a realistic gut punch of life - life isn't a book or a movie. Our mental health can sometimes get in our way.

Adelaide is a beautiful love story of finding love in oneself after searching for it in others for too long. I will cherish this book for years to come.

I have already preordered a physical copy that I believe will become tattered with rereads.

I don't know if and when I will ever stop thinking about this book. Adelaide believes that you meet certain people at exactly the right time, and I'm a believer that you read certain books at the right time. This is one of those books for me.

Bar none, one of my top reads of 2023. I loved the prose, the writing style, and everything that Genevieve Wheeler made me feel. We really got into Adelaide's head and I felt for her. I wanted to be her and also saw myself in her. This is one of those books that made me feel just so grateful to be a reader, and make me envious as an aspiring writer.

The best part of this book were the female friendships. Wheeler writes about them with such care, and it's clear she has friendships like this in her own life. The friendships also felt so real, which I think is incredibly hard to do. Eloise and Adelaide's friendship, in particular, reminded me of mine with my best friend, and I loved that so much.

One small thing that I especially loved: Adelaide's attachment to A Wrinkle in Time. As a fellow AWiT girlie, I really felt seen.

My one critique is that characters turn to Harry Potter for comfort -- while I understand the importance the story has in our culture, I just wish we could have done without the reference to works without a problematic author.

Anyway, I'm off to weep about this book some more and get the last line tattooed somewhere on my body!!

Book 22 of 2023 🌟🌟🌟🌟1/2
Real, Complicated, Meandering
Format: ebook
I finished this one five days ago, but it took me some time to process what I want to say. I really want someone to read it so we can talk about it and also I’m not sure any of my bookish friends will love this one. I have seen it categorized as romance, which I wouldn’t call it. This is not a book to read to escape real life. It is very well written with some different stylistic choices - like dialogue being italicized and flash forwards being in parenthesis. This book follows Adelaide and tells her coming-of-age story as she navigates her 20s, dealing with her past trauma, her mental health, grief, relationships, and friendship. This book was believable, nuanced, well-crafted and I cared deeply about the main character. This is an impressive debut and I’ll definitely want to read whatever this author does next. Skip this one if you need to escape real life. Read this one if you’re up for a slice of life novel with all of the complexities that brings. Check the content warnings. StoryGraph is an excellent source for content warnings. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

#bookreview #bookstagram #stmartinspress #genevievewheeler @geewheeler @netgalley @stmartinspress

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC.

This book is most definitely NOT a timeless love story, and there is absolutely nothing romantic about it at all. Unfortunately, it is a real look at hurt people navigating hopeless and damaging relationships out of a great need to be loved. Add in mental health struggles, narcissism, sexual and emotional abuse, and masochism and you have a book that, while interesting and real, is very tough to read.

It took me a minute to even figure out what I was reading. The male lead is described almost as a stalker and I thought this was a psychological thriller or something. I had to keep going back to read the blurb on the jacket to be sure I was (or wasn't) on the right track.

Thankfully, the main character has a group of strong female friends, who at the end of the day end up saving her through support, friendship, understanding, and unconditional love. The main character truly would not be alive without them.

If anyone is triggered by anything, except maybe war, be prepared because you're probably going to find it in this story. And the only love story that exists here is that between women friends.

3 1/2 stars

Thank you to Genevieve Wheeler, NetGalley, and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Adelaide will be on shelves on April 18th!

This novel is not light by any means and I'd recommend looking up trigger/content warnings beforehand.

Our protagonist, Adelaide Williams, is a 26-year-old American girl living in London. She is just the kind of girl I'd find myself drawn to... Kind, smart, witty, and a little bit broken. The story begins in the aftermath of her suicide attempt, but draws you back to the very beginning, to the very moment she meets the boy who would consume so much of her heart and soul throughout the novel. She gives too much and asks for close to nothing in return, and I wanted to shake her until she came to her senses more than once (just like her fiercely loyal best friends in the novel).

I'd recommend this book to all of the Sally Rooney lovers in my life. Genevieve Wheeler has such a poetic way of writing, and an incredible ability to pluck the heartstrings of her readers. I found myself tearing up several times, empathizing with even the most aggravating characters, and relating to Adelaide in every sense of the word. How it's possible she bottled up bits of me and channeled them into this spunky, big hearted American girl in London, I'll never know... I'm looking forward to reading more of her work in the future, and I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy of this book!

Wow this book was amazing. This is one of the few books I’ve read that I can equally and confidently compare to Sally Rooney. This is a 20-something coming of age novel that is raw and dark, but ultimately full of love and life. I fell in love with Adelaide and my heart was aching and rooting for her so so much. The writing style of the book was rich and beautiful, which really helped suck you in to the story and the characters. An added bonus is I love when books have tons of literary references, as this one certainly does. I’d recommend this book to anyone who loves Sally Rooney, coming of age novels, and women’s fiction.

I loved the flow of this novel about a young woman, Adelaide Williams, living in London. The story reads slightly like a Bridget Jones story until it doesn't (Adelaide mentions BJ in the narrative). Adelaide made wonderful friends in the UK and spent many nights at home and in pubs and bars with those friends, constantly meeting new people. Her professional life was on the right track, and I found that relief for a change.

The story shifts slightly when Adelaide finds a "Disney prince" called Rory on a dating app. There is a funny back story on that which I will not reveal (a spoiler). Adelaide falls hard for Rory, and life is heavenly until his lack of active affection becomes an issue.

This well-written story is a lesson for young women who believe they will love her more if she does just a little better. I recommend this novel to all young women still trying to survive in a male-dominated world.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press & NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this arc

Should you read this book, I can promise is that you will feel a LOT. Learning about this woman’s past and watching this man abuse her love was heartbreaking and frustrating. To be honest, I didn’t really feel the love story part of this. I did, however, find Adelaide’s personal journey worth exploring.

It was scary at times, as I know I saw parts of my younger self in this book. There’s that famous line about how we accept the love we think we deserve. Adelaide’s first love was so traumatic and terrible, it left her settling for less than she deserved. She was also conditioned to sacrifice her own needs for those of others which I think is commonplace for women and wholly unacceptable.

So much heartbreak and pain. I was happy that Wheeler surrounded Adelaide with such steadfast friends and allowed her to finally recognize her true “prince”. This was an extremely emotional and tumultuous journey, but Wheeler topped it off with a beautiful epilogue that left my heart filled with joy.

This is an emotional story and from the very beginning grips your heart. Definitely felt heavier at times than the description let on, especially with the opening chapter dealing with suicidal thoughts. It was a little jarring to read right out of the gate and then quickly transition to the past. But overall, a good story.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advanced copy of this book in an exchange for an honest review (3.5 stars)

This not a typical love story. While it features romantic love as a central theme, I would say this is more closely aligned with a coming-of-age story in the wake of several life altering experiences.

I did enjoy reading this as it's a painfully realistic portrayal of your early to mid-twenties, a period plagued by uncertainty and heartache.. Adelaide is certainly relatable as she struggles with her mental health and a relationship with the hard-to-love, Rory, which continues to be one-sided throughout the book. Their relationship is messy and incredibly frustrating, and me want to stop reading at several points.

It feels like this book wanted to tackle a lot of contemporary subjects and struggles, doing so at a surface level and taking away from developing a core purpose of the story. Regardless, there will certainly be an audience for it, especially those seeking out the next best thing to Normal People).

WOW this is a hard read and not a love story. This book needs to have a trigger warning list inside the cover so the reader can make an aware decision before purchasing. While they were not triggering to me, it was a very uncomfortable read. I cannot honestly say I would recommend this book.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martins Press for allowing me to read an advanced e-book in exchange for my considered review. All views are solely my own.

A memorable, unique account of being a female through the years 2018-2023 that involve career aspirations, friendships, falling in love, and heart-break. But more importantly, it portrays a genuine and realistic experience of what it is like to suffer and live with a mental illness. I appreciated the realistic plot of unrequited love and having your self-worth attached to another person’s love for you. I found it relatable to witness how dangerous people pleasing tendencies due to past trauma can be and the work and realization it takes to overcome it.

Upcoming Release⁣
⁣
𝐀𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐝𝐞 by Genevieve Wheeler [Thank you @netgalley @stmartinspress for the gifted digital copy, which releases April 18, 2023.]⁣
⁣
𝐀𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐝𝐞 begins in a hospital. Adelaide is answering questions about her emotional state and how many pills she's taken. Her best friend is by her side. And Adelaide has realized what it feels like to hit rock-bottom. ⁣
"Internally, mentally, she was a mess of jagged disconnected pieces, and she didn't believe she was capable of putting herself back together...A handful of pills and a swig of water and she'd be free - her broken pieces swept up and transferred to another spiritual plane." ⁣
𝐀𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐝𝐞 tells the coming-of-age story (the 20-something version) of how she got there, the events leading up to her cry for help, and how this cry for help eventually led her to happiness.⁣
Adelaide spent too long feeling undeserving of love and unworthy of happiness. And after investing so much of herself in a relationship of non-reciprocated love with Rory, she had depleted her sense of self-worth.⁣
I didn't love their relationship. But I did find it all too relatable to some of my own younger relationships and naive views on love.⁣
I, however, 𝘥𝘪𝘥 love following along while Adelaide rose from rock-bottom, and wish that part took up more space in this book, as there was much to admire and learn from watching her growth. I appreciate the author's openness in normalizing therapy and medication as a means to understanding and treating mental illness. I would be remiss to not say how I absolutely loved the mentions of some favorite book references throughout (Atticus Finch in 𝐓𝐨 𝐊𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐚 𝐌𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐝, Elio and Oliver in 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐌𝐞 𝐁𝐲 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐍𝐚𝐦𝐞, and so many others!)⁣
Adelaide was a character I felt drawn to and could root for, and I loved reading her story.⁣
⁣
TW: sexual abuse, sexual assault, rape, emotional abuse, gaslighting, panic disorders, anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, mental illness, miscarriage

I think this was an OK read overall, I feel like it lacked a strong sense of direction and I wished the ending was a bit tighter.

What an emotional and very human read. This book follows Adelaide as she experiences the crests and valleys of relationships while being a huge people pleaser. I felt all of Adelaide’s emotions so clearly as she fell head over heels with someone she feels is “the one,” but who withholds the emotions she gives so freely. This book is about love in all aspects: romantic, familial, female friendships. I really enjoyed the author’s depiction of the depth of Adelaide’s friendships with everyone around her, as well as the ways she (subconsciously) demonstrates how good a person she is. A good, flawed person. All in all, Adelaide was an incredibly relatable main character for me, despite the fact that I haven’t experienced her same struggles. I will be thinking about this book for a long time.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC of this book!

There are definitely triggers in this book one should be aware of going in, which I will list below.

Trigger warnings:
Alcohol use, drug use, mental illness, toxic relationships, emotional abuse, SA

This book did nothing for me. The novel started off promising, but I quickly lost interest once the toxic relationship turned soap opera-ish. It read like a really tame and boring romance novel. I just didn't care for the overall tone. It felt cheap and melodramatic. I really wanted to like Adelaide (the character) but she felt flat and pathetic.

Adelaide, by Genevieve Wheeler is pitched as a love story, but it is sooooooo much more than that. It is basically a story about finding self-love, in a very raw way. There are a handful of characters in this book & all the main ones are well developed enough to feel emotional about them. The story is told with most of the setting being London, but there are different locales along the way, which are all wel developed & definitely transport you to those locales.

I feel like most readers of contemporary fiction, would get enjoyment from this book.

📖 BOOK REVIEW

BOOK: Adelaide
AUTHOR: Genevieve Wheeler
FORMAT: Audiobook
GENRE: Literary Fiction
DID I CRY: Yes
PUB DATE: 4/18/23
RATING: 10/10
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you @netgalley for my #gifted advanced copy & @librofm for my advanced listening copy!

MY THOUGHTS

I picked up this book on a whim, completely blind after it was a LibroFm ALC pick & I very quickly fell in love with just about everything about it. This book is so special. It definitely targets a certain audience in my opinion, specifically those who have personal experiences with mental health / mental illness, abusive or unhealthy relationships, taking a leap to do something completely on your own & struggling to really find yourself. I definitely think despite resonating with those themes, you could love this book for sure. I happen to have some of those experiences and it made this book all the more special for me.

Our MC Adelaide is perfectly imperfect. Her flaws make her so human and so real, and I empathized with her so much. I definitely saw a lot of myself in her so I couldn’t help but root for her. The relationships in this book, without giving too much away, are complicated and layered & I think while it’s natural to form opinions, it’s also a really complex situation and a reality for so many so try to read through it with empathy and an open mind. The themes as I mentioned are so powerful and realistic, and Genevieve does a really great job capturing them in the different characters and relationships for readers to grasp. The ending had me teary and fist pumping and wanting to give Adelaide the biggest hug.

This book was phenomenal on audio, I definitely recommend. One to put on your radars and add to TBRs for pub day for sure!! Such a wonderful debut from Genevieve, I cannot wait to see this book succeed🌷🌷🌷

Definitely not a love story. It does have some romance though. The story starts with Adelaide attempting suicide and tells her story in reverse on how she got to that point. It's raw and emotional. It's set in England. Deals with mental illness. I struggled with this book not because of the content but due to writing style. It just seemed to drag.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC

Reviewed for NetGalley:

Beautiful cover, but dark content that did not come across as a moving love story as it was portrayed.

For some reason, had a hard time with the writing style and italics used throughout thr book.