I was drawn into Ana's world from the first page. What could make a person want to know so much about a person who passed on? Love, jealousy, obsession, insecurity, and social media are an interesting mix. There was humor and so many eye opening moments in this book. I'm so glad I was able to read this. Thanks Netgalley.

No no no, I just could not connect with this one. Ana comes out as too obsessive. She meets Evan and she just focus on his past relationship.

There are some parts that made me cringe, I guess this was just not what I was expecting!

Slow start for me on this one. Until...I saw myself in every corner of the story. I was at first thinking that Ana was a bit childish and stalkerish. But then realized that we all that this wealth of information at our fingertips and wanting to know more about people and situations is natural until you cross over into obsession. That's when the story turned the corner for me. Was it completely riveting? Not quite, and some parts were more than we needed, but in the end, the story came together, and the lessons were taught and learned.

Ana flees to Melbourne after a breakup and eventually meets Evan, who is charming and responsible, everything her prior relationships weren't. Ana can’t help but find Evan online, and sees that his previous girlfriend Emily died less than a year ago. Ana begins to compare herself to Emily, trawling through her dormant social media accounts in the hope of understanding her better. Evan and Emily’s life together looked perfect online, but why won’t he talk about it?

If anyone has struggled with the meaning of text messages or what social media posts are like, this book is for you. Ana had a messy breakup and moved to a brand new city. Her first attempt at a sexual relationship is horrifying and possibly triggering for readers because she isn't having fun and doesn't feel able to say so. Then comes Evan, charming and distant at any mention of his ex. She plays the guessing game as to what texts mean, what silence means, and what she should say to be liked and receive the best response.

Ana is unfortunately used to the silent treatment from past boyfriends and even her parents, and as an only child has few people whom she would have emotionally relied on. She builds Emily up in her mind as someone perfect, especially after reading memorial posts online and stalking her Instagram. Ana felt like she was an afterthought for most people in her life, it was such a sad thing to see. When she did put herself out there more, when she risked being vulnerable with others, there was a distinct benefit. I was glad to see her take those steps to do what was best for her and to put herself first. I have great hopes for her future by the close of the novel.

The writing was so bad felt like a child wrote it. This was not a good book. This book sounded like it was going to be good. But I just did not like it.

Search History
By Amy Taylor

Somehow I couldn't drum up any interest in this story. If you are looking for a "beach read", this is your book.

But all the angst and drama around a boyfriend's dead ex-girlfriend was just to inconsequential for my taste.

This book started off good. The writing was very easy to follow but the story was disappointing to me. It was relatable to an extent with how she portrayed modern day dating & social media. I understand searching up someone on social media but Ana was way too obsessed with it in my opinion. It felt like she was doing too much & trying to insert herself in Evan's past relationship. It felt very toxic & for no reason at all. I also didn't like how fast she was to forgive Evan for certain things he said to her during an argument. Many parts of the story felt a bit pointless to me & I feel like more could've been done with this story. I also didn't like the ending at all

Thank you to Netgalley & Random House Publishing for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

A short novel that I read quickly, and more or less enjoyed. SEARCH HISTORY is nothing like its cover. It is another book about a twenty-something who is obsessed with finding more about the people she's dating, and their exes, via social media and how that mostly does more harm than good. Look, we've all been there, but this book didn't really have anything new to say about this well-trodden territory.

I thought the book was witty and well-written but I just don't think it will leave a bit impression on my brain after I write this review. Perhaps its because I don't like being reminded of the all consuming, terrible time dating someone who is terribly at communicating was, or perhaps it just wasn't a memorable book. Either way, I didn't quite enjoy my time reading this and not sure I can recommend. .

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher/author for providing me with an E-arc of this book. The following is my honest opinion*
3.5⭐ of 5⭐

This book is the story of a young woman, Ana, who moves cross country after a bad break up. She ends up meeting a man and being in the technological age we are in, she ends up googling him and learning about him through social media. And of course, she has to navigate getting to know him in person and as time goes by versus the idea she has made up based on his friends' and his social media. Amy Taylor really tackles the rabbit hole that social media creates in everyday life and in particular, dating and getting to "know" someone.

I don't know how to feel about this book. I really enjoyed the storytelling and the outside look of the "dangers" the social media can have on people. I related a lot to Ana. I myself have googled someone and created a narrative of them in my head. Because of that I think I found it infuriating when things would happen and Ana would be passive about it. The other thing about this book was it felt a little mundane at times. I felt that there was some detail that may have been filler. I don't think that's a negative necessarily, especially because I kept wanting to come back to finish this book, but it was not the pace I was looking for at the moment.

I recommend this book to anyone.

I was intrigued regarding Search History once seeing the cover and synopsis. While I wasn't fully invested in this story, I would definitely read another by debut author Amy Taylor. The shortened chapters and mysterious element to the tale made me keep flipping the pages to discover the lengths Ana would go to to match herself with Emily.

I really thought I would love this book but from the beginning when she’s in her new apartment and has moved from Perth to Melbourne invites a chef she meets on a dating app to come over and all that happened I thought I was over the book but continue reading she eventually meet a guy name Evan who will play games with her emotionally he does he doesn’t… Then he has a dead girlfriend and this is when Anna becomes obsessed to the point where she does things I don’t think any sane person would do. I did love her dad however! I really thought Anna and all her die tribes were a bit much her over description over analyzing I just don’t think this book is for me. I want to thank publisher and NetGalley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

A smart, witty, and incredibly self-aware portrayal of modern-day dating. It follows a 20-something woman who becomes obsessed with her new boyfriend’s dead ex-girlfriend after some savvy internet sleuthing. She hasn’t had the best track record in dating and is constantly overthinking, second-guessing, and comparing herself to what she reads and sees online. It’s incredibly cringe-worthy and all too relatable, making for a fun, messy read.

Initially this book sounded like a romance novel. It isn’t. The heroine is both too shallow and repressed to have the kind of emotional and conversational skills to truly connect with others. After a meet cute in a bar, she focuses with laser attention on a man interested in hooking up. Rather than honestly connect, she studies him and his ex online with obsessive attention to detail. She compares herself to the ex constantly, then stalks the ex’s history, friends, and family, lying to get more information and more connection. She importunes her romantic object to tell her about his ex in ways that are so clumsy and malignantly inquisitive that they cause lengthy periods of ghosting. Eventually, she learns that he cheated on his ex and is cheating on her and ghosts him in return. There is no HEA here. Just laser focus on the next male to evince some interest and a desire to follow his online social trail.

Actual rating 3.5

I wanted to like this more because it was a good premise and relatable for modern day, but Ana was just too unlikeable to get past all of her cringy behavior. I get the idea of how social media has infiltrated and influenced how people meet and interact with each other, but she really took things to extremes and never really seemed to accept that she might be wrong in her actions. The boyfriend was on the creepy side as well, and <spoiler> I kept waiting for the part where either he or Nadia was revealed to have killed Emily, which surprisingly never came. </spoiler> I suspect I wasn't the best demographic for the story, but I'm glad I read it, if for no other reason than to be glad I'm not dealing with that level of crazy.

My thanks to Random House Publishing Group/The Dial Press, the author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Having recently ended a long term relationship, Ana decides to make a fresh start in a new city with a new job. After a break, she decides to try a dating app—with disastrous results. Then, to her surprise, she meets a charming man the old-fashioned way. At a bar after work.

Evan is charming, successful, handsome. Ana can’t help looking him up on social media, only to learn his girlfriend died tragically. Even as their relationship progresses, Ana can’t stop her obsession with Emily, especially after meeting her best friend.

The more she learns, the less secure Ana feels. And why won’t Evan open up with her? At time funny, at times cringey, SEARCH HISTORY is a realistic look at dating today. As Ana learns to move past old mistakes and heal her relationship with her parents, she is able to understand her relationship with Evan. #SearchHistory #NetGalley

Amy is young and hopeful, full of potential at her new job, new apartment and, most of all, a new boyfriend….maybe. But Amy has a personality disorder, one she’s not at all aware of and would deny vehemently if confronted with the accusation. She searches for any tidbit about a person that she can find, and at the moment, her new boyfriend is under the magnifying glass.
Full of oblivious humor, bordering on dangerously sociopathic, and pretending to be as natural and sincere as can be, Amy has no idea who she actually is, but is really great at assuming other peoples’ traits.
This is a quick, fun read poking fun at the dating scene suffered by young adults since the advent of the internet, Facebook, and multiple dating apps.
Thanks to Random House Publishing Group- Random House, Dial Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The publishing date is November 7, 2023.

I'm glad I tried this. I am ALL about a Rebecca retelling and I think this book makes an interesting point: that it's really easy to be obsessed with our partner's ex given the internet and social media.

But overall this had a blah "sad millennial" feel and I just wasn't feeling the vibe. I missed all that dramatic Gothic stuff!

Search history started out great but fell a little flat half way through. I do think I was the wrong audience for this book. Maybe more like young adult or new adult. The whole time I was reading, I was curious if people actually acted like that. It’s very weird. I feel very old after reading. 😬

I wanted to love this book based on the premise but it is so poorly written that it was a slog to finish

This was a bit of a downer -- it definitely felt realistic but also much more cerebral and introspective than I anticipated. It was well written but I never felt any joy reading this book . . . although maybe that was the point. It asks hard questions without easy answers. I also loved the ending!

Search History comes out next week on November 7, 2023 and you can purchase HERE.

At some point after a breakup, the desire to sleep with someone else arrives. There is no universal timeline for how long this takes. On one occasion the desire showed up almost immediately, winking seductively at me from a door-way. On another, I'd tried to force its appearance, placing the cart before the horse, only to find myself weeping into the limp arms of a disappointed and horny stranger. This time, when my ex and I broke up, it took a few months; a period I spent busying myself with logistical distractions—moving out of the house we shared, and, later, packing up my halved possessions and fleeing across the country. Then, when the desire did eventually turn up, I did what was expected of me: I selected someone from an app.