Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of “The Happy Couple” in exchange for an honest review. I’m looking forward to reading Dolan’s work in the future. For me, I wasn’t quite as immersed in the story as I would have hoped to be. I feel like this would have made a great script/screenplay. If actors would have had a chance to bring the characters off the page with facial expressions etc. it could have brought to life the heart that was missing for me.

Love this - for fans of Sally Rooney or The Rachel Incident, bleak interpersonal relationships get an interesting twist with multiple perspectives on being young, bisexual, in love (maybe?), and growing up.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was about two people in a relationship and getting married. It starts with the girls point of view and we also go the point of view of exes, friends, and the groom. There are so many quote worthy lines in this book. There is the exploration of relationships, what it means to be faithful, how that differs from men and women, how sexual orientation comes into play in relationships and friendships. It was simple but profound. I would definitely recommend it.

A circle of friends is excited about an upcoming marriage. Each friend has a past and opinions with and about the happy couple. The best characterization was in the two classical musicians (which was why I was interested in the book). The story was original, well edited (nice and short!), with a good surprise towards the end. The voice actors had heavenly Irish accents. Thank you NetGalley for my advance copy of this audiobook.

This was charming and funny, but didn't why away from deftly examining modern relationships in all their forms. I loved the less-than-ideal dynamics between friends and questioning of whether one person is enough to hang your hopes on. The glimpse into a couple from the outside and the inside was well executed and expertly structured. Public review to come on @fictionmatters and fictionmatters.substack.com

I absolutely love and adore Naoise Dolan’s writing. She writes characters that others might not find likable and turns them in to fully formed relatable characters you have a tremendous empathy towards. The struggle to figure out one’s self worth and place in the world is completely relatable. Absolutely loved the ending.

The narrator does a great job with this audio book, and it is well-produced. However, the story just did not resonate . I did not root for this couple at all.

Okay this was much more entertaining than I had expected. I expected average relationship drama but this brought all the fun twists too! Dolan has some profound lines and outstanding humor throughout this wild ride from engagement to wedding day. I was so invested in what was going to happen to these characters. While the POV continued to change, new and better information was brought to light and really reeled me in. I could see this being a movie haha it was a fun, easy/quick read/listen! Really enjoyed the narrators as well!

A perfect view into millennial marriage culture and opinions with a wonderful splash of queer/bisexual themes and the bonus of a setting across Ireland and England.
I’ve never read anything like this before. It felt like listening to a more grown up version of Derry Girls, filled with laughs but also serious and well paced.

If you like…
— complex millennial relationship stories
— dual POV
— mixed up timelines

Perfect for fans of…
—Sally Rooney
—Emily Henry
—Happy Endings (Hulu - USA)