“A serious blend of Fleabag and Rebecca with the pulse of modern-day existence” is the quote that lured me to Search History, a novel traversing the minefield that is dating in the 21st century. Ana knows how to dig up readily available info on a potential beau's ex and she becomes obsessed. What could go wrong?

Ana can't help herself. She lives to see what appears next on her screen. The whole adventure feels a little cringey, a lot stalkery, every page making me relieved not to be dating. Cheers to Ana and her escapades and here's to hoping, for her sake, she learns something [a girl can dream!] for the next time.

Search History didn't quite live up to the blurb, but admittedly I'm probably not the target audience. I wanted it to take a twisty turn into thriller-land (the breadcrumbs were there) but alas it was not meant to be.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC.

this book is trying very hard to be Of The Moment and loses its plot in that attempt. nothing attached me to the characters, and i wasn't interested in what happened next, so i DNF.

Finding herself floundering post break-up, Ana moves from Perth to Melbourne hoping to find a fresh start she feels is out of reach at home. She lands a job at a start-up and an apartment with a kind, elderly neighbor who takes a liking to her. Meeting Evan in a bar gives her hope that maybe things really are starting to look up. Fueled by curiosity and the modern day self-defense drive a bad relationship (or a catfish) instills, she gives into the urge to Google her new interest. Instead of finding clarity, Ana quickly finds herself sinking into self doubt and obsession upon discovering Emily, Evan's ex-girlfriend, died unexpectedly the previous year. Can Ana compete with the instagrid-perfect girl Evan devoted four years to? How can she know if he won't even talk about her?

Taylor's debut hits on a particular branch of millennial insecurity many are familiar with in the wake of the social media bloom. Her writing style successfully moves the story along, but the actual pacing was a little off for me. The first two thirds of the book were laser focused on Emily and Evan, leaving some of the more interesting tidbits—new friendships, complex family dynamics, and work perils—that rounded Ana out as a character feeling like an afterthought. The balance will likely work better for some readers, but for me, it made Ana difficult to relate to and her trajectory feel stagnant without reason.

Dating in a digital world really sucks. SEARCH HISTORY does a good job of illustrating said fact. When Ana suffers a bad breakup, she moves to Melbourne and tries online dating. After yet another terrible experience, she meets Evan and is thrilled to find someone who is funny and kind. Still, Ana can't resist looking Evan up online, where she discovers his previous girlfriend, Emily, died in a tragic accident. Ana becomes obsessed: not with Evan, but Emily, cyberstalking Evan's late girlfriend and allowing her to become a shadow in their relationship, even though he rarely mentions her.

This is a very generational read: Ana overshares consistently, and the book is filled with references to apps and current culture. It's certainly a true portrayal, in many ways, of dating in today's environment and even how much we let online culture affect our world. We get snippets of Ana's life after her move to Melbourne and anytime something in her present reminds her of the past, she'll go back in time and share a story. The switches in time can be a bit jarring, and it's hard to keep up reading momentum with the format.

Ana's obsession with Emily seems incredibly frustrating at times. You want to shake her and have her focus on being present in her own world (the point of the story, no doubt). This story is depressing at times, sometimes irritating, but also funny and honest (her portrayal of her divorced parents especially hit home). I'm sure it will resonate with a certain group of people.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House. This was a book that spoke to this age. It was kind of like a Romance/ Woman’s Fiction. I t was easy to read as well let you understand to be careful like a self help book. Haha

This book was truly impossible to put down, I was sucked in immediately. But also I am feeling very icky as I hold my phone in my hand to type these words… well played Amy. well played.

I was convinced this book was going to take some sinister twist toward becoming a thriller until the very end. I suppose the author really got me inside the main character's head, because every time the character thought something was going on I really bought into it. In retrospect, this was a quite an interesting and original reading experience for me because of this, but upon first read it led me to be somewhat underwhelmed by the ending. The novel follows a character who, at the start of a new relationship, starts digging into her boyfriend and his exes pasts on social media. I thought this was a really timely premise given how big a role our phones and social media do play in dating in the current world and how common it is for people to check up on their exes on social media and the melding of social media stalking into the narrative felt accurate and real. The twist of what the character found on social media raised the stakes even more and asked a tough question to the reader of what they'd do if they discovered this sort of information on social media. The answer to this question was a little lackluster for me though, and ultimately I didn't really connect with the takeaway message. I really enjoyed the author's tone and voice, but I'm not sure I ascertained what the book was trying to say. Even so, I enjoyed the reading experience because I loved the author's writing style so much and I'll definitely be looking out for further works from this author!

**Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for this ARC in exchange for an honest review**

If I had to describe how my time spent reading Search History by Amy Taylor, I would say it was okay. I read this over two days and it was fine. I can't say more than that. I don't think the writing was anything special. When I first heard the premise of the book, I was excited but I don't think this book met my expectations. It was just an okay read that I will most likely forget.

This is an interesting take on social media, i’m just not sure it was for me.

Thank you to The Dial Press & Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book and found it to be a really great read. Ana is surprisingly likeable and I couldn't put this book down. I think this would a be a great adaptation. This is perfect for every reader

Funny and romantic story. It was great in the begging and ok in the end. The middle was a bit of a disconnect mainly because it’s not a typical genre. Overall it was an enjoyable read!

In today's social media crazy world, the "public face" may be very different from the person you'd meet at the grocery store. We've all seen too many times, an opinion based on social media turn into a nightmare. When this young woman enters her new "perfect" boyfriend's name into the search bar, what she finds will change her life forever. As she digs deeper into his online history, she will learn that what you see may not be what you get.

I feel as if this book is not considered a "sad" story or anything, but I think I cried quiet a bit.
The story of Ana's love life is one I can relate to as I have had similar struggles when it comes to dating. I think that is the exact reason why I became so invested in the story. When all these little things would pop up, my heart would hurt as if this was one of my best friends.

The use of "internet stalking" and being able to find out a persons entire life with one little search is something so crazy to me, especially because some people make a living off of that! I have always been careful about what I post, but I can admit, I have scrolled endlessly through my past significant others social media, and then I find one comment from a girl that was left 43 weeks ago and then I'm stuck in an endless loop of finding out who she is and what the connection is. With dating apps, it gets even more intense because you meet up with random strangers who could easily be faking their entire personality. This era is all about being "chronically online" and always having to post on social media, and I feel like that really deters relationships and communications. This story does SUCH a good job showing how those struggles can turn into something less than ideal.

I 100% recommend this book to anyone who is struggling or has struggled with dating. It may seem hopeless, but you never know what could happen in the end ;)

Tapping out on this one at around 15% - this is a genre I like, but the writing style just isn't clicking with me as a reader. This might be for you, it's just not for me!

2.5. This is a totally okay debut, but I found the plot generic and boring and ended up putting the book down many times; it didn't help that the central relationship is drawn out. Both Amy and Evan lack introspection and are totally unlikeable in uninteresting ways--the side characters are amusing, though, and the ending is kind of cute.

Who among us has not been sucked into a social media rabbit hole ? This was such a fun read. Ana, who has a history of bad relationships, meets Evan who could be "the one". Innocent social media research leads Ana to Emily, Evan's ex who died unexpectedly. Ana becomes obsessed with Emily and spends inordinate amounts of time exploring her dormant social media accounts. On the surface Evan and Emily appear to have been the perfect couple. But social media does not always give us an accurate representation of what is actually going on. This was a really fast run read! Thanks to #netgalley and #dialpress for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

I would totally be an internet stalker if I was dating today so I found Ana's obsession completely relatable. I saw it billed as Fleabag meets Rebecca and I can see why - it's edgy, funny and also a little dark. I look forward to whatever Taylor writes next.

Thanks to Dial Press for the copy to review.

I love women's fiction, but I haven't read much of it lately - probably because a few of my favorite authors in the genre didn't publish books this year. When I saw Search History I thought it would be a good book to try and with its premise, I thought for sure it would be one of the popular books of fall.

I almost put it down before finishing the first chapter. I don't like descriptive sex and there was a bit of that in the first chapter. I also didn't think I would be able to connect with the main character as she admitted that she was just looking for casual sex. I knew I couldn't read a book that was just her bouncing from one casual encounter to another unsatisfactory encounter.

But I try to give a book a few more pages before deciding to stop reading and I'm glad I did. Search History wasn't just about sex (and there aren't as many sex scenes as I feared). It was really more about Ana learning who she really is and understanding how her past has shaped her approach to relationships.

I definitely could identify with some of Ana's behaviors and I think a lot of women will see themselves reflected on the page. I really liked her introspection.

While it probably won't make any of my best of lists, it is a solid read. Ana is a sympathetic character and her self-reflection may help you understand yourself.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Tuesday - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2023/11/2-great-character-centric-stories.html

While I think I was the target audience for this book, I couldn’t help but think I’ve read it before and there was nothing new to add. This book felt very similar to A Novel Obsession which came out in 2022. I liked the writing, but thought the storyline needed more humor or more absurdity to liven it up. It was partly a little too depressing. While some will love, I just have read things like it that took a bigger swing.

Important things you need to know about the book:

Pace: The pace of Search History was medium pace. It did speed up to medium fast towards the end of the book. But the overall pace was medium.

Trigger/Content Warning: Search History has trigger and content warnings. If you are triggered, then I suggest not reading the book. They are:

Sexual Violence (graphic)
Infidelity (moderate)
Toxic Relationship (moderate)
Misgony (moderate)
Sexism (moderate)
Stalking (graphic)
Car Accident (minor)
Death (minor)
Grief (graphic)
Alcoholism (moderate)
Alcohol Consumption (graphic)
Panic Attacks (moderate)
Sexual Content: There is sexual content in Search History. There are a couple of scenes where it gets graphic. Otherwise, it is a fade to the next day, or the author uses general terms when describing Ana getting her freak on.

Language: There is moderate swearing and some offensive language in Search History.

Setting: Search History is almost set entirely in Melbourne, Australia. There is a chapter where Ana visits her father in Bali.

Tropes: Conflict Comes from Interpersonal Relationships, Betrayal/Cheater, Minor Character Death, Plot Twist, Regret, Relationships, Dating

Age Range: I would recommend Search History to anyone over 21.

Plot Synopsis (as spoiler-free as I can get):

After fleeing to Melbourne after her long-term relationship crashed and burned, Ana feels ready to date again. But when the matches on her dating app become questionable (and, in one case, dangerous), Ana is prepared to give up. Then she meets Evan while at drinks with co-workers. Evan is everything she is looking for in a man. He’s handsome, witty, and single. After several dates, Ana searches for Evan’s name online and discovers a huge surprise. Evan’s previous girlfriend, a beautiful yoga instructor, was killed in a car accident. Ana slowly becomes obsessed with Emily and Evan’s perfect relationship and with Emily herself. But with Evan not mentioning Emily and breaking down every time Ana mentions her, Ana begins to wonder if their relationship was as perfect as it seems on social media. Will Ana get the truth from Evan? Or will what is revealed break them up?

Main Characters

Ana: I had mixed feelings about Ana at the beginning of Search History. While I liked her and thought her snark was excellent, I didn’t particularly appreciate that she cyberstalked her ex (and later on Emily and Evan). In the beginning, she came across as needy and obsessive. But, as the book went on and her back story was shared, I began to understand why she acted the way she did. I still had mixed feelings about her social media use, but something resonated with me at that point. Haven’t we all looked up an old or new love interest to see what they are doing? I know I have. So, giving side-eye to Ana was replaced with sympathy and an overwhelming need to take her phone away.

Evan: I thought his appearance in Ana’s life was good. He showed up exactly when she needed it, and they were good together for a little while. I even got why he didn’t talk about Emily (her death was still too painful). But then he started pulling stuff on Ana that made my shady boyfriend’s meter go way up. All I have to say is that Evan isn’t as innocent as he made himself to be to Ana. He left a whole lot out.

My review:

Reading Search History was eye-opening for me. I have no clue what it is like dating in this day and age. I met my SO before smartphones were common and dating apps were everywhere. I met him 20 years ago the old-fashioned way: In person. What attracted me to this book was how the internet and social media shaped Ana’s view of dating and then fueled her obsession with Emily and Evan’s relationship and with Emily herself.

The main storyline centers around Ana, Evan, using social media to stalk Emily and Evan, and Ana’s life in general. It was well written. Some of the scenarios showcased didn’t resonate with me, but like I stated above, I last dated 20 years ago. But the feeling behind everything did. Everything Ana did until almost the end of the book wasn’t malicious. She was curious and then felt that she had to live up to something shown through social media. Even with her hearing the truth (and yes, it shocked me), she still felt that she had to live up to Emily’s memory.

A massive twist towards the end of the book involves Ana and Evan’s relationship. I was so shocked when everything went down because, at the time, I had no warning. But, looking back, there were plenty of signs; I didn’t take them as they were.

What I also liked about this book is that it wasn’t just about relationships. It was about healing. Ana had so much to heal from and had so much to heal. It was nice to see her strained relationships become less strained. I also liked that she became more assertive in other areas (for example, her job).

The end of Search History was nice, but what Ana did at the very end raised my eyebrows. Didn’t she learn from everything she went through earlier in the book? I wondered if she would go down another social media rabbit hole.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group – Random House, The Dial Press, NetGalley, and Amy Taylor for allowing me to read and review this ARC of Search History. All opinions stated in this review are mine.