Oh, Adelaide. How my heart breaks for you.

From my understanding the original description of the book had it a bit more flouncier and fluffier and full of romance. This couldn’t be further from what it truly is. This is a story about how a heart can break a million ways. How to love someone and feel like you’re never good enough for them, but what if both people never feel like they’re good enough for each other but never fully address it?

While the characters were a bit flat at times, and near the 70% mark it felt like things were getting rushed, this entire book was relatable; how to love someone through grief while they’re actively grieving, how to work through trauma and the triggers that resurface from it, how to love yourself when you’ve settled for bad experiences at love and aren’t sure what “real” love is.

As someone who’s experienced a fair share of trauma, this book is entirely relatable. To people giving one and two star reviews, I understand, it’s very emotional and if you’ve never dealt with a (to quote BoJack horseman) “I’ve had a lot of what I thought were rock bottoms, only to discover another, rockier bottom underneath” type of depression, this is heavy. When you didn’t think your heart could break more, it did.

I felt like there could’ve been parts that were better written, areas explained in more detail and that this book was entirely an emotional experience. If you need a book to feel something, this is it.

Okay, parts of this book I loved, and parts of it were definitely infuriating. I loved the message at the end of this book, which is why I’m giving it 4 stars. Mental health is very important, and this book gave an interesting view into that. I found myself relating to Adelaide at times honestly, for wanting something to work so bad and having a completely different perspective on your relationship than the person you’re with. But seriously, I hated Rory. F*** that guy.

This review is for the audiobook narrator. I believe that Caitlin Kelly was the perfect person for the job. She really got into the skin of Adelaide. My review of the book itself is in another review.

"Adealaide' is not a romance story, but it is a worthwhile read. Typically, I read romance stories because love stories bring me joy. I want to see how two people can come together, despite all of the odds against them and have their happily ever after. Adelaide is someone who desperately wants her fairy tale happily ever after ending- she even meets someone who she calls 'a Disney prince', but he winds up being a villain instead.

Adelaide has a history of mental illness, in herself and in her family. She has also had some trauma in her past, and all of this contributes to her mental state at the start of the book. The book goes through different times in Adelaide's life, including her time as a teenager in the U.S. and her time as a 20 something in London. Throughout time, we see what Adelaide has been through, with abusive men in her past, and we meet her friends who have been there through it all.

Adelaide's friend group is so supportive and I was so happy that they were there with her through the good times and the bad times. She always had someone in her corner, even when the men in her life were treating her poorly.

When Adelaide meets Rory, she thinks that she has found the one: her "Disney prince". He is charming, attractive and everything that she wants in a man... except he doesn't respond to her texts, he is emotionally unavailable, and he treats her poorly. Despite this, Adelaide would do anything for Rory. My heart broke for her every time he ignored her texts or made her feel bad about herself. I wanted to give her a hug so many times.

In the end, Adelaide finds the help that she needs, and with her friends support, Adelaide learns that she will be okay.

It took me some time to get into this book, but I'm glad that I stuck with it. I had the audio book version, and whenever I would listen to it, I would start to feel sad or upset. I knew that it was going to be a heavy read, but it was very triggering for me. I had to take out my airpods and walk away from it. The narrator did an amazing job at capturing everything that Adelaide was going through. I teared up so many times as I was listening, and I felt connected to Adelaide.

I would recommend this book. Please know that it is not a romance, and it has very heavy topics. Stick with the story, and it will move you. This story will stick with me for a long time, and I'm glad that I didn't quit on this story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillian audio for an ALC of this book.

Thanks you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the eARC! I absolutely adored this novel and the narration on the audiobook was excellent. I was unfamiliar with the narrator prior to listening but I will be on the lookout for her future work, the distinct voice and perfect delivery of each and every character added so much and truly brought the story to life. I loved this representation of mental health and the depiction - it felt authentic and sensitive without being derivative. I was enamored with the character of Adelaide and loved this character journey. A cathartic, must read.

A truly beautiful coming of age book that felt so real. Definitely not a love story, but a good warning story on what a bad relationship can look like. I enjoyed the structure of the story, and even though Adelaide was infuriating sometimes and you really wanted to yell at her to leave this relationship, you still love her.

I was not expecting to love this book, but I listened to it and it was so well-written and narrated so perfectly that I listened to it a second time. Adelaide is a character that I adored, but I was frustrated by her lack of inner strength and sense of self-worth so many times in this book. She surprised me with her resilience and courage in the end. Rory is the key to bringing about this change and while I detested him and the hold he had on Adelaide, I enjoyed seeing her move her beyond that experience to become the person she wanted to be. It's a thought-provoking story that may be triggering to some, so check the trigger warnings, and I enjoyed discussing it with a fellow book lover.

I think this book was extremely well written and realistic and beautiful but wow it was difficult to get through. I relate so much to all of the traumas that Adelaide experienced and detailed in this story, so it brought up a lot of memories and feelings that I didn't enjoy lol. BUT I absolutely loved the side characters in this story and the close relationships Adelaide had outside of romantic partners. Adelaide's mental growth by the end of the book was lovely.

Adelaide (audiobook)
Genevieve Wheeler
Caitlin Kelly (Narrator)
Pub Date: April 18, 2023 🗓️

Adelaide is an American living in London when she has a meet cute with Rory and falls in love with him. Adelaide falls for Rory head first, despite the fact that he disappears for days upon days, doesn’t return messages/phone calls, and overall treats her poorly. Adelaide would do anything for Rory Hughes and constantly chases him to get him to love her back. I found myself angry with Rory and his emotional abuse throughout the book.

Adelaide is a beautiful story, focused on love, mental health, and friendship. Perhaps my favorite aspect of this book was the friendships and great support given to Adelaide by her friends. Her friends were there to pick her up when she was at her worst. It is my hope that everyone has friends like Adelaide.

This book was very emotional for me, and is not your typical romance book. It is so raw and emotional and really not always easy to read/listen to. However, if you like women’s fiction, this book is for you (Warning: Suicide and sexual assault are present within this book.).

It is evident that Genevieve Wheeler has created a true masterpiece with Adelaide. As her debut novel, I am excited to read future books by this author.

The narrator, Caitlin Kelly, was absolutely phenomenal. I loved the way she told Adelaide’s story and I feel as though she was the perfect pick for this book. Caitlin Kelly was the perfect voice for Adelaide.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Genevieve Wheeler, MacMillan Audio, and NetGalley for a gifted copy of Adelaide.

I found this book to be a bit of a slog. The main character is pretty tiresome and it was hard to finish.

That cover just reeled me on in. Such a raw story! This was not an easy read. If you like Normal People by Sally Rooney chances are you’ll like this. I think they were very similar in style and writing. This just felt so real and relatable and it definitely resonated with me. I enjoyed the audiobook but honestly I think I would have enjoyed this one more reading it myself instead of listening.

Wow, what a stunning book. Congratulations, Genevieve Wheeler, on this phenomenal debut.

I started listening to this book with a healthy dose of caution. I had read enough advanced reviews that I knew the story carried many content warnings (mentions of suicide, mental health, SA, DA, emotional abuse, and others that I won't mention at risk of including spoilers). I truly expected a book that was just chock-full of trauma. What I found, instead, was a protagonist who was so tremendously real and relatable, she could have been your best friend. Your sister. You.

I also keep seeing people adamantly say that this is *not* a love story, and while I understand where they're coming from, I also disagree. This is very much a story about falling in love, about the insecurities experienced when in love, about heartbreak, about the love between best friends. This is "not" a love story in the same way that 500 Days of Summer proclaims at the start to not be a love story.

Things I loved most about Adelaide, the book:
- Adelaide, the character
- the way that Wheeler writes about love in friendships, and then juxtaposes it against love in romantic relationships
- the portrayal of the expat American experience
- the treatment of mental health and the idea of "taking up space"
- "the love, the grief, the pain, the joy, the feelings, the feelings, the feelings"

A special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.

Adelaide is an American living in the UK and is in love with someone who refuses to love her back.

I loved this book so much! Everyone woman was either friends with someone like Adelaide or was herself a version of Adelaide. Adelaide's raw vulnerability and insecurity was palpable and so familiar.

This book was beautifully written and it hit me in the heart. highly recommend it.

Remember to check the content warnings!

Oh my gosh I’m not crying, you are! This book was intense and I loved literally every minute of it. It was heartbreaking but Adelaide was so much stronger than she knew.

(as posted on my Instagram)

🌸 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖 🌸

Thank you #partners @booksparks @stmartinspress and @macmillan.audio
for the gifted hardcover and ALC. I loved this one!!

𝗔𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗱𝗲
𝗕𝘆 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗿
𝟯𝟬𝟰 𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀
𝗣𝘂𝗯: 𝟰/𝟭𝟴/𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯 - 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆!

🎧 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸:
𝟭𝟬 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝟭𝟱 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲𝘀
𝗡𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗖𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻 𝗞𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘆

📖 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁: Adelaide is a twenty-six-year-old American woman studying in England. She comes from a dysfunctional but loving family, and has a great group of friends, rewarding work, but she wears deep scars from a traumatic past.

Adelaide hasn't had the easiest time with regard to men / boys, but she's ready to try again after meeting Rory, who seems like "the one." Despite numerous red flags, Adelaide is convinced she's in love with the emotionally unavailable Rory. Time and time again, he shows us his true colors. And yet, Adelaide is convinced that she can make him love her the way she loves him.

Told in alternating timelines, mostly from Adelaide's perspective (but also from Rory's perspective), the reader gets to know these characters and why they are the way they are.

💭 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀: Oh Adelaide. 🥺 My heart broke so many times reading this novel. It's gorgeously written, perfectly narrated, and will have the reader all up in their feelings.

This book was originally mislabeled as a romance novel. It is not a romance novel. I repeat, it is NOT a romance novel. Adelaide is contemporary women's fiction, and deals with numerous difficult topics (please DM me if you'd like TWs). It is a very heavy, emotional read, and often melancholic. That said, it's also inspiring and hopeful and healing. I loved the ending and loved taking this journey with Adelaide. 💕

Narrator Caitlin Kelly nailed this audiobook. Nobody else could have performed this book in this same way. Well done! 👏🏻

I. LOVED. THIS. BOOK!

Have we not all had this experience at one point or another in our lives? Loving someone more than they loved us, but clinging on for dear life and screaming “WHAT THE FUCK MORE CAN I DO TO MAKE YOU LOVE ME?!” A part of me really wanted a redeeming arc for Rory but that’s the point isn’t it? We want it, but we won’t get it from him.

This book is 2023’s Normal People.

The emotions were written so vividly that you can feel the author’s personal experiences. It was palpable and satisfying to feel seen in the pages of a book.

There was a point where the author wrote “tears fell that she didn’t know were forming” (paraphrasing) and I laughed out loud because it’s so cliche, but that’s the point. This story is a universal experience and cliche phrases are practically required because they exist for a reason.

And the female relationships! This is a feminist book. This is what true friendship between women looks like. The fluidity and strength of friendship moving between life milestones and distances, and I absolutely loved this representation.

The narrator was also excellent. The voice was a bit higher than expected, but this is a feminine experience so I wasn’t bothered by it. The accents were a nice character divider, and I loved the various tones and inflections so I could tell who was talking. I would absolutely purchase an audiobook with this narrator in the future.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to review this book. I definitely plan to share this review on all of my platforms.

Adelaide is a charming twenty-something who is trying to navigate her way through life as an American in London. She is a very complex character who deals with mental health issues, an extremely uncaring and disrespectful boyfriend, as well as career and social concerns.

I couldn’t help but fall in love with Adelaide as she is written as a truly kind and sympathetic character. Her struggles with Rory (that occasionally made me want to throw the book against the wall) were both sad as well as frustrating. While I loved every other aspect of Adelaide’s character, at times I truly wanted her to stand up for herself more. Without spoilers, I was satisfied with the ending and would highly recommend this book. Be sure to check trigger warnings.

I had no expectations going into this book, but was pleasantly surprised at how quick I read it. I had gotten this as an ARC from netgalley and found that the prologue really kept me hooked into finding out more about the main character. I think it was written very well and was a solid easy good read.

Adelaide is at times funny, frustrating, angering, heartbreaking, and joyous. I couldn't be happier that I've had the chance to read all about her.
Sometimes everything needs to break apart/break down in order for us to build ourselves back up into something stronger. That is the journey this story takes us on.
The use of multiple timelines and multiple character's perspectives is used so well throughout this novel. It allows the reader to really understand the main character of Adelaide and some of those that are tangled into her life. It allows for such a connectedness to the main character that her pain is the reader's pain, her laugh is the reader's laugh, and in the end it makes for such a wonderful sense of contentment.
Adelaide's story is complex and there are several difficult topics discussed, but it is so so worth the read!

"It was okay to love herself fiercely, a little selfishly, and with intention."

I um.. don't know where to start. I thought this would be a romance, and I guess in a way it kind of is. Just not the kind you're expecting.

This is a tragedy. A beautiful, feeling provoking, tears inducing tragedy that also shows you there's hope. So much hope.

When I tell you that I cried so much reading this, I cried. There are so many things that Adelaide feels and says and thinks that felt like they were just plucked right out of my own life.

If you have ever fallen in love or thought you were in love, this book is like that feeling all over again. Except not just about romantic love but falling in love with life in general. The glorious highs, the anxiety and butterflies, and then the utter crash and burn when things end. This book was also overcoming all of those dark days.

Even though this wasn't what I was expecting, I think it was exactly what I needed.