This story was beautiful and painful and raw; the mental health representation was handled so well. Fans of character-driven stories will love this! It’s full of heavier themes so I think if someone goes into this with that awareness, they’re going to be in the right headspace to fall in love with it. I think it’s important to share trigger warnings!

This book deals with some real heavy topics on mental health, consent, suicide, and abuse. I respect how careful and with a lot of thought these topics were written. Even with the strong topics, Adelaide is a book that everyone should read.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

Wow. The author definitely takes you on an emotional rollercoaster. This story is what a lot of people will need I think as many have been in Adelaide's shows at one point in their life. They're just trying to find love and give the abundance of love they have in return only to find someone who doesn't truly appreciate what they are giving. To be a revolving door for when they need a pick me up. It was easy to read, the writing done really well even with the heave topics addressed.

The point of Adelaide's obsession felt misplaced but I guess I can see how it would happen. I've never been in this particular place so I wouldn't really know what goes through someone's mind as it's happening. I did appreciate the mental health representation as I do have experience with that. The end was definitely fitting and I'm happy with how it was wrapped up.

Adelaide by Genevieve Wheeler was a strong debut novel. It told us the story of the main character of the same name, Abigail, twenty six years old, and how she fell in love with a guy named Rory. And how Rory treated her, which is spoiler: but he sucked, bad. He's a guy that treated her like she's insignificant, a mere nuisance. Adelaide had let him did her dirty like this. But despite everything, Adelaide kept coming back to Rory. In an internet slang: she's down bad. Which is not a bad thing if he's equally down bad for her, but for the sake that's holy, that guy Rory didn't care about her at all. He kept showing her how he didn't care about her on how he acted, and yet Adelaide seemed not be getting on how she's been done poorly. Which for some people might find Adelaide annoying for this. But I also get that when you're in love, you made everything about that person better in your head. They could do no wrong in your head. I think that's what happened with Audrey.
Overall, this was a good read. Audrey's character was fleshed out well, and the author's writing flowing and easy to follow despite the formatting of the dialogues.

3.75/5 rounded up.

I actually went in thinking it was a romcom, and boy was I wrong. It's actually a dark romance with mental health themes. I loved the escapism of the London setting, as a fellow millennial woman.

I wanted to like Adelaide more than I did -- both the book and the character. Adelaide certainly has her endearing qualities, and there are definitely times when she is a sympathetic character, and you feel for her as she struggles with loss/grief and copes with mental illness (once she is diagnosed). However, she is also often a very sad, pathetic character, allowing herself to be taken advantage of and engaging in immature or inappropriate behavior. Rory, the love interest for much of the story, is also somewhat pathetic, and cowardly. The best part of the book overall is the supporting cast, especially Eloise, Nico, Celeste, and Bubs. Adelaide is also a better character at the end of the story.

This book was an incredibly moving and impactful. I felt the deep emotions of the main character. The book is so raw and real. You completely relate with her and everything she's gone through. I highly recommend it.

Relationship toxicity at its finest is what "Adelaide" is.

Because Adelaide loves Rory but Rory doesn’t love Adelaide. He takes advantage of her kindness, disappears for weeks at a time, and cares little for her life. But Adelaide believes if she loves him hard enough, is devoted enough, he’ll realize she’s his forever one and only. Until, that is, she loses herself so completely that both her heart and her mind break.

Genevieve Wheeler’s first novel is a memorable love story, though not a happy one. It will make you uncomfortable – rape, emotional abuse, suicidal ideation and other mental health issues are all part of it – as well as enlighten you. Many will relate to Adelaide and her troubles, and even those who don’t will appreciate the realistic portrayal of an unhealthy relationship.

But the book isn't only despair and heartbreak – there’s a hopeful note to it. It shows us that light follows darkness, that we can survive the people who aren’t good for us. And that sometimes, if we do the work afterwards and take care of ourselves, we end up all the better for them.


My sincerest appreciation to Genevieve Wheeler, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions included herein are my own.

I kept seeing people post about this book and I was excited to see it available for me on NetGalley. It is hard to leave a review for this book without giving things away. I will say that it did live up to the hype. I enjoyed the writing style and storytelling I was engaged through the whole book.

This was not a light read. Adelaide starts with her in the hospital for suicidal ideation. We then go back to find out what has her at this point. Adelaide is very relatable. I'm far from my twenties and this book took me right back to them. It was hard to read about Adelaide trying to twist herself in knots to get Rory to even acknowledge her. Her friends are incredibly supportive. I did find the ending very trite but otherwise this was a solid novel.

From the summary, this book should have been one I loved. Set in London, Adelaide is surrounded by her friends and has a life she loves except for that special man in her life. Unfortunately, the mess Adelaide finds herself in was one that made me want to scream. Rory had my sympathy early on in the book. It was obvious that he needed help due to the sudden loss of his parents at a young age. But his mental health was no excuse for the way that he treated Adelaide. I found myself wanting to reach in to the book and smack Adelaide in to action and self-love.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3 due to the ending and Adelaide getting her happy ending.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

Possible Triggers: Rape, Sudden death, parental death, mental illness, emotional abuse

This book was a beautiful representation of mental illness, the effects of grand love, and the way that one can lose themselves and find themselves over and over. I loved Adelaide's story and her character growth! The writing was impactful and this novel was beautifully written

This book took me on an emotional rollercoaster. At times hard to read because of the content – mental health, grief, relationship struggles and more but a good read if you are interested in coming of age stories. Check the content warnings before reading if you are easily triggered.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This book broke my heart and mended it in the span of ~300 pages. Adelaide is one of the best-written and relatable main characters I have ever encountered, and her genuine empathy moved me almost to tears. Her rocky relationship with Rory read like a romance that every woman will have, but remained exempt from stereotypes and cliches. Adelaide's never-ending need to please everyone and be everything for someone who doesn't deserve her was simultaneously heartbreaking and completely understandable. I am excited to see what devastating and inspiring story Wheeler dreams up next.

I wanted to love this book… but I couldn’t finish it. I was really excited for it because I saw a lot of my favorite authors post about it for months leading up to pub day, but it wasn’t for me. I didn’t enjoy reading about a woman letting a subpar man ruin her life and self-esteem.

When we meet Adelaide Williams, she is in the hospital in the midst of a mental health crisis. She is overwhelmed by several changes in her life and reeling from a breakup, and it is all too much. From this pivotal moment in Adelaide's life, Genevieve Wheeler takes us back to explore the events that led her to this point.

An American living in London, 26-year-old Adelaide is in love. In love with her friends, with her adopted city, with her life...and with Rory Hughes, who she meets on a dating app. Adelaide falls for him deep and hard and fast, and although Rory doesn't seem to reciprocate her passionate feelings (he ghosts her for weeks at a time, doesn't honor his commitments, doesn't show more than a passing interest in her life or thoughts), Adelaide is convinced he is The One. If she just loves him hard enough, gives enough of herself to him and to their relationship -- surely he will fall in love with her, too. But if Adelaide gives her all to Rory, what will she have left for herself?

Well gosh, this one is a heartbreaker. Adelaide is raw and real and emotional and relatable and heartfelt and full of yearning and ultimately -- thankfully -- such a hopeful book. Adelaide is a well-crafted character who you will relate to, root for, and be exasperated with in equal measure. Her naiveté is both endearing and maddening, and her eternal positivity and enthusiasm for life are infectious. You can't help but fall a little bit in love with Adelaide. C'mon, Rory Hughes, get on our level!

Adelaide is a sensitively-rendered exploration of mental health issues, the manifestations of grief, the joys of found family, and the power of love (both the right kind and the wrong kind) to irrevocably alter us. It reads to me like a sweeter, more nuanced, more complex version of Tell Me Lies. I highly recommend the audiobook read by Caitlin Kelly, whose tender, heartfelt narration perfectly encapsulates the character of Adelaide.

Wheeler's writing is beautiful and so, so sad. Though sometimes I wanted to shake Adelaide and tell her to stand up for herself, the character's behavior perfectly explored the harrowing times in your early 20s when you seek self-worth from others. Aside from the main romantic conflict, I thought Adelaide's relationships with her friends and others she loved was a great way to demonstrate her selflessness through action.

I loved this book. The author did a fantastic job describing mental health. I wish I could have talked some sense into her about the love that was right in front of her. It definitely wasn’t that douche bag she was dating.

This was a powerful coming of age novel that every millennial woman needs to read. It was incredibly relatable, from the pop culture references; to online dating culture, and clinging to love interests who keep you hanging on by a thread; to all your friends being in different stages of life. I love a realistic, melancholic story of how messy people and relationships can be. I especially appreciated how female friendships were portrayed on the page—they are so important at all stages in life, but I loved seeing women be there for each other while they were each going through something different. One thing I would leave out is the Harry Potter references. Additional things I loved: Bub and the mental health rep. Overall I’d recommend to anyone in their 20s, going through it.

My heart broke for Adelaide through her journey. I enjoyed the way this was written and made me even reflect on some aspects of my life.

This gave me sally Rooney vibes tbh but easier to follow through with! Highly recommend