Adelaide wasn’t what I was expecting – and that’s not a bad thing. While I expected a romance, it expanded to contain so many elements.

Adelaide is in her 20s, living in London, and finally meets the man of her dreams. He makes her feel so full – when he follows through. When tragedy strikes, another layer unfolds in their relationship and complicates an already tenuous situation.

Sometimes I wanted Adelaide to come to her senses, but like many of us, the 20s are a period to live and learn. Trying to throw more than her all into her relationship, it leaves her confused, hurt. The author truly captures what it’s like to be a woman in this situation, all while gently tackling issues including mental health struggles and grief.

It runs the gamut of emotions and really drew me in. This is a great read for someone who wants to really escape into a story.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC. All thoughts in this review are honest and my own.

"How unfair, she thought. That she'd helped Rory piece himself back together, and he'd never even know she fell apart."

Summary:

Adelaide Williams is an American living in dreamy London. When she met Rory Hughes, it was a lightning bolt out of the blue. He seemed like everything she’d ever wanted. But is love enough when he has nothing to return?

Thoughts:

Wheeeewwww. This book absolutely DESTROYED me. There were a LOT of similarities between Adelaide’s experiences and my own, so reading this was really cathartic. I was absolutely crying the whole way through.

There were definitely like… 5 too many Harry Potter references in it. But other than that, this book is a freaking masterpiece.

Final star rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice rating: 🌶️

CWs: miscarriage, infertility, suicide attempt, toxic relationship, panic attacks/disorders, suicidal thoughts, mental illness, grief, sexual assault, emotional abuse, rape, and sexual content

Adelaide hooked me instantly and I loved the story all the way through to the end. Genevieve Wheeler really brought Adelaide, and all her characters, to life. My heart ached for Adelaide throughout her journey, as she experiences heartbreak after heartbreak, sometimes at her own doing. This book is dark, depressing, and deeply relatable to anyone who has experienced unrequited or mismatched love, yet it is also hopeful.

Run to your nearest bookstore or library to pick this up!

This is about a 26 year old American woman living in London and working in public relations. It’s basically focused on her newest relationship (with flashbacks to previous ones) and mental health.

I related to things Adelaide went through in her quarter life crisis. I’d describe this as a little similar to TELL ME LIES but with a likeable protagonist and more of a focus on mental health. I loved Adelaide’s friends but couldn’t hate her love interest more if I tried.

This is such a beautiful, emotional read and I’m truly blown away that it’s a debut novel. I really got in my feels while reading and even teared up a little in the end, one of the reasons it’s my first five star of the year. Definitely check this one out but mind the tw/cw. Also it’s listed as a romance on goodreads but it most decidedly is nottttt a romance.

⚠️: suicidal ideation/attempt, sexual assault, emotionally abusive relationship, rape, infidelity, anxiety, depression, panic attacks, miscarriage, mental illness

Very interesting concept! I enjoyed it for what it was but I typically read less heavy books. Apparently it’s like Sally Rooney’s book, Normal People. I haven’t read that book though, just what I’ve heard. I think it’s a hard read because it’s heavy.

If I could get through it, I think I’d really like it. But it’s one I have to pick up and put down several times to get through.

DNF @ 51%

GAH! This was a heart wrenching read: raw and unapologetic. Adelaide is big hearted and just wants to care for those around her with every ounce of energy she has, to the detriment of her own health at times. An honest story of a young woman giving and giving and giving and not listening to the warning signs around her, until she hits rock bottom. This is a tough one; if depression, anxiety, and a susicide attempt is a trigger warning, be cautious. But at the same time, I feel like it's such an honest account, it is worth the read. I just want to wrap my arms around Adelaide.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and get to know Adelaide!

This was a good story. The story was a little hard to follow because it jumps around so much without giving a lot of difference in the narrative. The problems in this story are very real to people today and should definitely come with trigger warnings of suicide ideation.

this book is probably one of the most frustrating yet brilliant books I have read recently! and I mean frustrating in the best possible way because I was so invested in the storyline as we see adelaide navigate her 20s and the complicated relationships around her.

adelaide is a 26-year-old woman living in London who just so happens to meet a man named rory one day and basically realizes that she is everything she has ever dreamed of in a partner. however, their relationship isn't all that perfect. rory has his own issues, is the most flaky man I've ever met and does not reciprocate her love. we see adelaide give all her energy to this relationship and the people in her life, draining herself of energy and love, and struggle through mental health issues and relationship problems.

this book was honestly just so intriguing and I thought it explored these topics of toxic relationships, powerful friendships, and mental health so well. this whole idea of giving so much to others and being someone's pillar and the consequences it can have was so well done and portrayed in this novel. seeing adelaide's character grow and learn how to eventually deal with such challenges was so interesting and the writing was so good!

I would highly recommend this if you are looking for a good women's fiction novel!

Oh Adelaide - - your kind heart was truly too kind. Adelaide is a character that I could easily identify with. I totally understand thinking if you just try a little bit harder that you can make everything be okay or make people like you more. It's such a human reaction. Adelaide may have taken it to the extreme, but we know she had her own issues to deal with.

Adelaide is an American living in England when she meets Rory Hughes and the stars seem to align where she's concerned. She's convinced he's the one. But why is he so inattentive? Every time it seemed like Adelaide would work up the nerve to step back from Rory, something would happen and she'd excuse his behavior yet again. All it does is wear her down and make her question her own worth over and over again. It's heartbreaking to see her value herself so little and him so much. But Adelaide had a rocky past with relationships and it made her more susceptible to his type of treatment.

As hard as this book was to read at times, Adelaide is a character that you can't help but pull for. She's kind hearted and you just want to see her end up with someone good and kind. She deserves to be valued. So, as difficult as the majority of this book is, there is hope at the end. Basically, it's worth all the tears and heartbreak because there is a rainbow coming.

Please note there are many trigger worthy events in this book so if you are someone that those may apply to, I would encourage you to approach with caution. TW: mental illness, suicide, miscarriage, abuse, non-consensual relations/rape, death.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: The audiobook was perfection in my opinion. The narrator's voice captured Adelaide exactly how I imagined her. I listened to this book in one day. I have a day where I cook several meals for the week and I listen to an audiobook while I do so. I listened to Adelaide this week and it was just what I needed. I was entranced with the story from the first word until the end. 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for both the early listening copy and the ebook. I chose to review both and the opinions contained within are my own.

Adelaide so wonderfully embodied living with bipolar depression, though it might not have been the entire purpose.

I found myself relating quite often to Adelaide. How often I had worn myself thin to people please, to impress, to push when I needed do just stop. I related to her anxieties and her habit of shoving her feelings down. I related to each of the relationships she held as I felt like I held similar ones myself. It was oddly refreshing to see my mental illness written about and shown that there is indeed light at the end of dark tunnels.

I enjoyed that this novel presented a few different perspectives, though I wish they had been separated a bit better (i.e in chapter titles). I think the author did a wonderful job wrapping up each of the story lines in a way that made sense and wasn’t rushed.

Highly recommend this book and I’m so glad I got to view it prior to its publish date!

Adelaide brought up a lot of feelings for me. On the positive side, I think it's excellent that Adelaide's mental health struggles and 20-something struggles were given center stage here. In addition, so many people have horror stories about men like Rory, and that representation clearly means a lot. It's wonderful to see a character who makes young women feel seen. I also loved that Adelaide had such a supportive group of friends around her.

On the other hand, I did not like the writing. The constant one-sentence foreshadowing peppered throughout the book grated on me, as well as the highly romanticized language.

Adelaide's incessant, often childish fawning over Rory (especially her obsession with "fate" bringing them together) and the deep well of grief she fell into after a character she barely knew died did not resonate with me. I say this as someone who coincidentally also spent most of 2019 as a total wreck after a breakup, and with the acknowledgement of her specific mental health circumstances.

Although this wasn't a winner for me, I'm glad that many other readers love it and feel deeply connected to Adelaide as a character.

Don’t go into this one thinking it’s a romance or a lighthearted contemporary story. This is a story about a girl who thinks she meets Prince Charming and falls head over heels in love with him, but their relationship doesn’t have a fairy tale ending, and Rory is anything but a prince.
This book is Adelaide looking back on their relationship and sharing her honest account of it all. Throughout the story, the reader can tell that Adelaide isn’t well and as the story progresses it was a challenge to not get frustrated with some of the choices she was making. Thankfully, she begins to see how Rory really is and seeks help.
I’m so glad the author included flashbacks that showed what happened to Adelaide as a teenager. I don’t think I would have been able to get past some of the frustrations I had with her had I not read what had happened in her past. The flashbacks made what was happening in her present-day life make much more sense.
I’m also very grateful for the sections that shared Rory’s flashbacks of the start of his relationship with Natalie. Throughout the story, I loathed Rory, but seeing a little of his history made him so much more interesting. I never developed a liking or an understanding towards him, but the flashbacks made me more invested in how he reacted to the events in the present-day timeline.
I’m really glad I picked up Adelaide. Her story will stay with me for a long time, and I think it will resonate with others as well. I’ve heard it’s a blend of Sally Rooney’s writing and Carola Lovering’s Tell Me Lies, which I’ve read (and loved!) I’ve never been able to make it through a Sally Rooney book, but Adelaide definitely has the same toxic relationship theme as Tell Me Lies; however, this book shows a more serious, less thrilling toxic relationship than that of Stephan and Lucy’s.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for my early review copy.

This book was a unique example of the mental health and dating struggles of a 20 something in today's world. I have not come across any other books that so perfectly encapsulate the terrors of dating an emotional unavailable man in a world that teaches women to doubt and gaslight themselves at every turn.

While I loved the writing style, immediate hook at the beginning, and ending, I did find myself wishing the book would go faster or be a little shorter during the middle. The book was well paced otherwise, with an interesting use of chapters jumping between character experiences and time frames.

Adelaide is an American living in London who meets Rory like a bolt of lightning. A sort of meet-cute you’d hope for living in a foreign land. But Rory really isn’t as great as he could be, because he doesn’t respond when he should. And Adelaide has the illusion he loves her as much as she does him.

This was a funny yet realistic debut that centers around mental health and how some people can be a bit “clingy.” Adelaide let’s her self and heart break over and over again for this man. And the realization that maybe she doesn’t deserve love. That real needling prick we give ourselves about needing someone and needing love, so we come off too much and too hard.

I absolutely enjoyed this, because I saw my younger self. I had a boyfriend that was my center of my world and who I centered myself around thinking it was love. It’s a sad realization but a truth many must face. This story is just so real and raw.

I struggled with this book. After the opening chapter, I wasn't entirely sure that I'd want to read about a character, dealing with mental health issues and attempting suicide but thought I would plug away anyway. However, I really didn't like the character, Adelaide, a young 20 something woman who lived in and loved everything London. Wild and free, she meets Rory on a dating app and he is her ideal Prince Charming whom she falls madly in love, although I would have to say, Rory only loves himself. But I didn't like the constant dialogue or language, the back and forth, both outloud and in her head, did not flow and was disjointed. I finally felt I had to abandon this book (which is rare for me) as it wasn't giving me joy and I didn't care for the characters nor her dilemma. The writing did not keep me engaged. Perhaps after setting it aside I will return again, but for now, there are other books that interest me more. Sorry.
Thank you to #netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you St. Martin's Press for this advanced copy of Adelaide in exchange for an honest review.

This was an incredible beautiful and tragic debut novel. Genevieve Wheeler hit this one right out of the park. I was hooked from the first sentence of the prologue & finished it in 6 hours. One sitting. I really felt like I was going on this journey of life and toxic relationships with Adelaide along with her. I truly felt for Adelaide from the beginning and as much as you don't want this book to be relatable, I know plenty of 20something/30something women who will find this book to SPOT ON. The gaslighting, the narcism, the ghosting, the selfishness of Rory is just the hard realities of dating, but Genevieve showed how crushing those things can be to a woman willing to give everything for someone who isn't even willing to show up.

what to expect
-toxic relationships
-mental health representation
-found family
-strong friendships
-themes of grief

FINAL THOUGHTS: If you're a fan of Sally Rooney (Normal People, Conversations With Friends) and Carola Lovering (Tell Me Lies) then you absolutely need to pick up Adelaide. I was absolutely blown away that this was a debut novel. I really felt like I went through such a relatable journey with the main character and walked away from some of this tragedy with a lot of hope.

In my opinion, this book was more about the strength and importance of female friendships when you're struggling. Madison, Celeste, and Eloise understand how special their friend is to them; even though she's flawed, and can be messy, they love her and want her to find someone who appreciates her for who she is. I saw a lot of my friendships reflected in this dynamic.

Despite that, I felt that this book was about 25% too long and was much more character-driven than plot-driven which I struggled with. I did finish it, even though it was a tough read, but sometimes the meandering language was just too much for me. The representation of mental health was very adept, I think, but I found it incredibly frustrating to deal with these characters for the duration. I would not read this again, but didn't mind reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All views are my own.

This was a beautiful rumination on so many aspects of the human experience. I felt so seen by so many things in this book. Take care and maybe check out some content warnings, but if you are a human, I recommend reading this book!

Adelaide Williams is a mid-20s American living in London and getting her graduate degree when she meets Rory Hughes. Well, re-meets. You see, they first met two years prior and she told him he looked like a Disney prince, and then never saw him again, until now. Adelaide believes it's fate that they've crossed paths again, that Rory is her prince, and the two embark on a whirlwind romance. Over the course of the next year and a half, Adelaide deals with triumphs and struggles, falls in love, and has her heart broken, time and time again. Can she learn to put herself back together?

PHEW!!! This book was incredible. I sat down yesterday afternoon to read it and ended up staying up late to finish it because I just couldn't put it down. This book broke my heart in the best of ways. I saw so much of myself, and so many other young women I know, in these pages, in Adelaide. This book was raw and emotional, and the portrayals of mental health were honest and authentic. At times I cringed at Adelaide's actions, only because I've done them myself and know where they lead when you're in love with a boy who doesn't love you back. I loved Adelaide's strong friend group; it was heartwarming to know she had people rooting for her, even when she wasn't rooting for herself. The journey Adelaide went through is one I think so many 20-something folks, especially young women, can relate to. I'd suspect most of us had a Rory in our lives - someone who says they care, but their actions and affections are inconsistent. I know I have! There were definitely some dark and depressing moments, but that made it all the more realistic. I loved this book so much and recommend it to anyone.

TW: Sexual assault, emotional abuse, bipolar disorder, suicide attempt, death of a loved one, depression

In the beginning I was so intrigued. I got to 55% and nothing had happened in the book so I DNF’d.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.