I flew through this smart and darkly funny novel about a young woman's affair with a married man. As I read, I was reminded of the saying about placing a frog in boiling water who doesn't realize he's being boiled until it's too late. That is exactly how Hera reacts to falling in love with Arthur, a magnetic but highly inappropriate partner. Gray perfectly describes the timeline for how such an affair would go down: you don't know you're in deep until it's too late. Emotional and sexy and wildly funny, this is wonderful novel about being young and lost and in love.

Hera is 24 years old, has three art degrees and lives with her single father. She finally has given in that she needs a job to provide for herself. She gets hired as an online community moderator. She’s been bored with her life, struggles somewhat with her bi-sexuality and longs to have contentment. Then enters a romantic interest who may or may not be available. This is not a romance though, it’s a character driven story about a young woman making all of the choices that had this older woman simultaneously wanting to shake her and be her friend at the same time.

The novel has wonderfully sarcastic and smart humor throughout and I laughed out loud many times. Hera is such a great main character. She’s wildly funny, but she unfortunately gets involved with a married colleague and it’s sad to see this intelligent girl start to accept so much less for herself than she deserves. “He would care if I died! It’s a low bar but I’ll take it.” Watching her go down this cliched rabbit hole was frustrating and heartbreaking.

I thought this was so well written. Hera was bored with her life until she became obsessed with Arthur and the imaginary life she fantasized the two of them having. I felt Hera’s frustration, but at the same time I wanted this brilliant girl to open her eyes. We all know how these affairs almost always end up and which party gets hurt. What I felt the author did so beautifully in this debut was to take a tale as old as time and make it modern, fresh and unique.

Thank you to @netgalley and @henryholtbooks for an early digital copy of this absolute gem!

“A green dot tells me he’s online.”

I cannot read another word of this awful book! I despise the main character, Hera, and she is definitely not a person I give one fig to know more about nor waste anymore time reading about her. I read 25%. Could I Give NO STARS?Thank you Netgalley and Henry Holt & Company for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. #NetGalley, #GreenDot.

Green Dot by Madeleine Gray is a novel I won’t forget any time soon. It takes the hard-to-see meta realities of our world (because we’re immersed in and living them) and dwindles them down into tangible bits we can consume in a highly digestible and very readable narrative.

At first, you will question whether you should root for or abhor the protagonist, Hera (whose name is worth noting and considering for a beat). But you will ultimately find yourself tangled in her humor and close relationships and relatable real-world struggles, especially if you graduated from college after 2000. Who from that generation of grads hasn’t worked a thankless, soul-sucking job with no real purpose or adequate compensation, all while feeling alone and lost to some degree, like the protagonist?

Getting wrapped up in Hera’s personal relationship with Arthur, who is much older than her and married, is also easy to do, oddly enough. Even for the most ‘moral’ among us. While you know the whole time you’re reading that the outcome of their relationship is likely predictable, there is so much relatable hope and longing, via Hera, that keeps you hooked and reading– offering an experience like one might encounter when reading a suspenseful novel. Sure, Hera might be disgruntled and lost, but there is hope and longing underneath her outer veneer… as is represented by Arthur and all he represents (stable respectable career and reputation, good income, marriage, family…) and the green dot.

The green dot that appears next to Arthur’s name when Hera is messaging him on social media represents her hope for a deeper connection with not only Arthur, but with other humans, and ultimately with the world she lives in as a whole. A connection she likely ends up finding once the dot fades, and she stops seeking it… although that is left up to interpretation in the end. I would love to hear more about what other readers think of the green dot and what it symbolizes, especially regarding capitalism and other things this generation is consumed by.

Also, did I mention that this novel is hilarious? I laughed out loud a lot, especially as I read the first few parts.

Overall, I would recommend this novel to Lit Nerds, the entire millennial generation, and those who enjoy narratives with complex and interesting characters who are still relatable.

Note: I received an ARC Ebook version of this novel through Net Galley.

Green Dot is a compelling, humorous, yet sad first novel about 25-five year old Hera with an inconsistent work history who accepts a job as a content reader for a news organization in Sydney. Hera falls in love with her 40-year old married co-worker, Arthur, who, of course, promises to leave his wife, Kate. Author Madeleine Gray writes about the complications and clandestine details of Hera and Arthur's relationship and shows the hope--or hopelessness of the situation. Green Dot is recommended for a long weekend read.

Green Dot follows Hera, a woman in her mid-20s who after delaying the inevitable realizes she must get a job like the rest of her peers. She gets one as an online comment moderator and things suddenly become more interesting for her as she begins an affair with an older, married coworker. I normally do not particularly enjoy stories centering around infidelity, but this was definitely the exception. This is thanks to Hera, our main character. Madeleine Grey absolutely nailed it writing one of the most hilarious and relatable characters I’ve ever read. Even when she did something I didn’t agree with I would think “you know what, I get it tbh”. Even through dark or heavy moments of the book I had a ton of fun reading this.

ARC provided by NetGalley.