This was such a Dolly book, and I loved it! Her writing always has me laughing, crying and feeling a whole spectrum of emotion that I struggle to relate to sometimes. I'm so excited to put this book into peoples hands and see what Dolly comes up with next! Seeing a break up from a males perspective felt very fresh in comparison to other break up books that have been frequenting as of late, and Dolly nails it as always!

As a huge fan of Dolly Alderton's work, specifically Ghosts, I could not wait to read Good Material.
This was a different take on a traditional break up story, with it being told from the male perspective and Andy's POV.
It was interesting seeing it set in the world of comedy and having the characters be in the mid-thirties.
Now, we all deal with breakups differently but after a while Andy's whinging and whining started to grate on me a bit.
It did, however, keep me captivated the whole way through.
Everything felt very authentic and realistic though. And I will never tire of Dolly's writing.
I did like that it concluded with Jen's POV and I felt a real affinity with her and the fact that she is happier being single than in a relationship.
If anything, I would have happily read even more from Jen.
This section was really refreshing, especially as I was starting to get a bit bored of Andy's POV, even as we saw some growth from him.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Andy and Jen have been together for four years when Jen breaks up with him (seemingly) out of the blue. A serial monogamist and standup comedian, he doesn’t know what to do with himself suddenly single in his mid 30s. This is a well written and extremely engaging novel from an interesting perspective. A very enjoyable read!

An interesting narrative from the male protagonist's perspective following a break up. Andy, a comedian by trade, is dumped out of the blue by Jen and it knocks him for six. This book details him dealing with the aftermath of this and a flailing career in comedy. A refreshing take. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for this advance copy.

Supremely readable, funny and sad all at the same time. Dolly Alderton has done it again with Good Material. It deserves to be a best seller.

Struggled a bit with this one- I don’t like to give poor reviews- and I’m glad that I persevered, through to the end.
We all deal with break ups differently and it was interesting to see this from a male perspective.
It was also important to hear the female reasoning behind the break up too.
Persevere and you won’t be disappointed

Dolly Alderton’s Everything I Know About Love is one of my all time favourite books. I was given it my best friend, and have since passed it on to my sisters, my mum, my friends, and countless customers. It’s a conversation starter, a smart ode to friendship, love in all its messy forms, and finding out who you are. So my expectations for Good Material were high - and this surpassed it completely. At times laugh out loud funny, at times emotional and gut wrenching, this book proves no one writes relationships quite like Dolly does, So so SO good,

3.5.

I love how Dolly writes, she's genuinely funny and has such an authentic, relatable millennial voice. I'll read anything she writes, but this wasn't my favourite from her.

A whole book about a break up from a male perspective did test my Dolly loyalty. I liked Andy, the protagonist, but by 40% in I was a bit bored of his excruciating thoughts and was shouting out for growth/development. The end section, from Jen's point of view, was brilliant and after the slug of Andy's perspective, it was so refreshing to read. I really understood her side and it genuinely felt like I was reading from two real people.

Writing two sides of a relationship and break up can be cheesy but this was powerfully executed and the ending is very satisfying. Dolly is very talented and I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a rom com, but for me at times it wasn't super enjoyable.

Thank you to Penguin for the early copy!

Dolly fans, you are in for a treat!
Compulsive reading, you know there will be a twist to this tale but you don't know when or how. Absolutely fabulous. Well done Dolly!

Another cracker of a book from Dolly Alderton! I super enjoyed this, although it was slightly harder to get into than Ghosts - the female protagonist’s prose really shines but the male one didn’t work as well I thought - so wished we’d heard more from the character Jen.

One of my best books of the year - I will absolutely be buying for all my pals.

This book was an absolute pleasure to read. My expectations were high because basically I love anything that Dolly Alderton writes. I would read her shopping lists if I'm honest but truly this book did not disappoint.

I was completely engaged and gripped by the narrative and I also found it refreshing witnessing a break up from a sensitive and emotional male perspective. It felt so true and at times funny (the houseboat), and I felt completely sucked into the thirty somethings' London in which they lived. I would thoroughly recommend it.

This was quintessentially Dolly, and I loved the book for it, but I feel slightly cheated by the fact that this whole book was about going through a break-up. Not because it’s not a worthy topic but purely because I have read a few similar titles recently (i.e ‘Pretty Good Actually’) and it felt like another one of those, but from a male perspective.
Don’t get me wrong - the writing is spot on, easy to read, funny and totally gripping. There were moments of pure gold in there, like the Narrow Boat episode, getting a therapy session under a fake persona and so on, but ultimately it was 80% whinging and therefore tiresome. Definitely didn’t expect a male protagonist though!

I didn’t entirely get the last part of the book where the narration changes and I don’t feel like it was necessary but okay, maybe that’s me missing something.

Overall this was, as they say, a romp but a forgettable one at that.

I really wasn't sure about this book when I first started it, but it grew on me.
Andy has split up with the love of his life and he goes a bit mad. He's a stand up comedian but struggles to make it past the local comedy nights in pubs. He certainly know how to be pitiful.
His journey is torturous at times although it also has it's funny sides too.
We get to hear his ex, Jen's, side of the story towards the end.
Quite an enjoyable book to read.

4+

I really like Dolly Alderton‘s writing and this is another very well written novel. We first meet Andy when in 2019, he lists the reasons why he is not good with Jen. Yes, Andy I get it, she does sound pretty awful, but inexplicably, she breaks his heart when she dumps him. However, hold your horses, this is Andy‘s point of view so let’s just rein in the sympathy for now. The pair meet in 2015 at his best friend Ari’s birthday bash and all seems well until an ill-fated trip to Paris. Andy tells us his “progress” in a sort of journal form as he negotiates the different stages of the break up.

This is such a good read as at times it’s tender, at others it’s very amusing but throughout it is very perceptively observed. I really like the authors turns of phrase, she can be poignant but also droll, very witty and sometimes laugh out loud funny which is a clever combination as it keeps you turning pages.

The characterisation is excellent. Although Andy is definitely obsessive especially about Jen, he is so likeable. You do feel sorry for him as things in his life spin out of control but at the same time you want him to pull himself together. He needs “Dear Dolly“ though there is some wisdom imparted here often from his pals, though not necessarily when sober, and Andy comes to self realisation. Andy is a part-time stand-up comedian and there are some very lively and colourful scenes and characters around the comedy circuit and of course, it explains the title. In addition, some pub/club sections where Andy tries to laugh out or drown his sorrows, accompanied by some snappy dialogue, further entertains. It’s hard to pick out the best sections as there isn’t a dull moment, but these are perhaps some of the best in the book. Also worthy of note are Andy’s interactions with his landlord Morris to whom one act of kindness is very touching.

The last section is Jen’s point of view, whilst it may not be especially long it is very illuminating and explains a lot. I’m glad we got this as it gives a broader understanding of their relationship. The ending is extremely satisfying.

In addition to following the progress of Andy’s recovery and meeting some very good characters along the way (Ari and Jane‘s children are hilarious for example), there are some excellent music references, some hair obsessing and hair envy, some other ventures where Andy tries to reinvent his 35-year-old self, with limited success.

All in all, Dolly Alderton once again delivers in this thoroughly enjoyable and diverting read.

PS, thanks for not going too far into 2020, best forgotten.

With thanks to Penguin General UK for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Enjoyed a lot. Seeing a breakup play out from both sides of view isn’t something I’ve read before, and found it refreshing, full of so many accurate and tender observations that make you smile as you read along. Preferred this to Ghosts, and will always read anything Dolly writes!

I love Dolly Alderton’s writing, humour and wisdom. Andy feels like someone that would write in to her agony aunt page completely confused as to why his ex-girlfriend broke up with him. We follow him in the aftermath of this break up for 3/4 of the novel and, at many points, I wished that agony aunt Dolly would step in and reply to him about what he needed to do to come to terms with it in order to make the excruciating spiralling of his thoughts and actions stop. He realises his friends are sick of him and that he is also becoming sick of himself. I appreciated how astute and perfectly observed he was as a character but I was also totally sick of him too at this stage - I just wanted to shake the giant man child and hi-five Jen for dumping him. This shows how brilliant Dolly Alderton is as a writer - but I really did not enjoy some of the novel as a reading experience for this reason. I absolutely loved the last quarter when Andy is further along in the stages of a breakup and where we get Jen’s perspective on what happened. The ending is completely satisfying!

Andy and Jen have broken up after 4 years. Andy doesn't deal with this very well and the book follows a a few months of him wrestling with this.
He's kind of annoying but also quite sweet which I think is a nice balance.
The last few chapters give a different perspective and I found that really made made it a good book. It filled some gaps.

I absolutely loved this book Beautifully written & told. It will make you laugh & cry. I loved Andy & want to know what happens him next! A fantastic book that deserves 10000 stars!!