Sweet. Rae. Emotional. Written in a creative way and made to connect to the readers Absolutely loved this book!

This book was okay. It failed to hold my attention at times and I wish we would have gotten dual POV interspersed through the novel rather than rushing at the end—I loved having Jen’s perspective and there was so much untapped opportunity with her POV. Plus, I got tired of Andy after a while.

I can see why this book is loved by many, but this was not it for me. I can’t believe I read 300 pages of a 35 year old man just complain and mope around the WHOLE time.

Love, love, love! Laugh out loud funny while also being heartbreakingly tender. I don't know how Alderton does it. Everything about this book was beautiful - its structure, its sentence-by-sentence strength, the character development, the emotion.

So realistic, honest. She absolutely nailed what it’s like to go through a break-up now, in this day and age.

I wish there was a second epilogue after the pandemic, since the book ends Jan 2020 and acknowledges the “crazy flu from the news” coming.

I think I want to listen/read this again. I read the first half in bed falling asleep for a few weeks. Once I switched to reading/listening during the day I thought it was perfect. As someone who has spiraled out after breakups, I think this might have been my biography? But as the male Dylan in the UK who has alcohol where I didn’t. Anyway, a work of art and laugh out loud funny.

Y’all I don’t think I can even put into words how much I loved this book. Dolly Alderton’s Ghosts was one of my favorites of 2021 and Good Material is destined to be one of my favorites of 2024. I finished this gem just over a week ago and have not stopped thinking about it.

This one hit me straight in the heart. I felt this one on such a personal level and spent the last hundred pages or so in tears. At one point I was just sitting on my boyfriend’s couch, sobbing and clutching a roll of paper towels (because the weirdo doesn’t own tissues).

But I loved every second of this book. Well except for maybe Jen’s section. Andy wasn’t ~great but her section just made me hate her. So much.

This is a story about two people were totally wrong for each other but they had a life together and there’s something beautiful about reminiscing while you’re looking for a way forward. And that's what I enjoyed most about this book.

This is an *excellent* portrait of a breakup and honestly one of the best books I’ve ever read. I already want to read it again. And everything else Dolly Alderton ever writes. I can’t wait to see where she takes us next.

And thank you so, so much to Knopf for both the NetGalley and this gorgeous finished copy! I’m so glad to give this stunner a permanent place on my shelves!

I cannot recommend this book more highly! I also highlighted soooo many passages in this. The writing is absolutely stunning and there were just so many beautiful sections. 10/10, HIGHLY recommend this masterpiece! Please do yourself a favor and pick this one up!!

Dolly Alderton does it again: writes in a way that is funny and awkward and endearing - but is also DEEPLY heartfelt and emotional.

This would have been an easy five star read for me, but I did find that the pace of the book dragged in the middle for me. However, the way this story was tied up at the end was truly a work of art! I was blindsided and simply couldn't put it down. I think the way that the story slowly zoomed out from Andy's personal experience to show the whole picture of what was going on was so human and just masterfully done.

This is a very raw and accurate picture of the complexities of a long-term relationship ending. Would recommend to fans of Out of Love by Hazel Hayes, Normal People by Sally Rooney, and Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason.

*Note: This review was shared on my bookstagram account on 3/21/24.

Dolly Alderton really is the voice of a generation. While I preferred Ghosts, you still get the same sharp writing and wit that is characteristic of Alderton’s work. Andy was incredibly frustrating as a main character and yet despite the fact that I spent most of the book wanting to shake him, I didn’t want to put the book down. Alderton’s writing is hypnotic, drawing you in while making you want to savor your time with her work. The only thing I regretted about finishing this one is that I have one less work of hers to discover for the first time. If I had to offer one criticism, it would be that the end from Jen’s perspective was my favorite part and I wish we could’ve gotten more of it.

Dolly Alderton can do no wrong. Her writing style feels like she peers into my soul and sees exactly what I need to hear to move on in life. Gosh, this book was perfect. I really didn't know what to expect but the story of a breakup and what we think about each other is the heart of the book.

Dolly's genius to put this in the lead up to March 2020 leaves such an open ended theory to the ending. I loved it!

Good Material
By: Dolly Alderton
3/5 stars

Thank you to PHR audio for the ALC, NetGalley for the eARC, and Penguin Random House for the physical copy!

This is my first book by Dolly Alderton after hearing so much buzz about her books from friends. I went into this one blind and I can honestly say that I did not expect to be reading a book about a 35 year old washed up comedian going through a breakup. I found myself a bit confused when the story started out as we are woven into the aftermath of Andy and Jen’s breakup. It was nostalgic, satirical, and utter madness. Andy cannot understand how he can love Jen so much and had not seen the breakup coming. He goes through the stages of grief before our eyes and we sit back and cringe at all the mistakes he makes after the fact, knowing we’ve all been in his shoes. Between the continued attempts to communicate, internet stalking, asking friends about the other person, and taking steps to overcome the hole in your life - we’ve all been through it.

It was heartbreaking to see the despair Andy goes through while trying to piece his life back together but at the same time it felt off because he is in fact a comedian. Rather than turning his breakup into new comedic material, he is so desperately hopeless and seems to drive himself into a deeper depression. It is a unique story in that we experience Andys perspective and how he rationalizes his actions while at the same time gives the reader a sense of knowing that for all his issues, Andy isn’t particularly a bad guy. In fact, we don’t even feel like Jen is villainized either.

I loved the moments of clarity Andy had throughout the book. It really made me feel like he will one day be able to move forward and get over this part of his life. But truly, I felt for him. Four years with someone only to have it end. To be in your mid-30’s, it is such an awful time to be single. Everyone of his friends are married or have children and he is alone. It is something women deal with constantly so to see if in a male perspective was something new. His maturity peeking through when he breaks up with his new girlfriend who is 12 years younger than him. His growing friendship with his landlord Morris, a 78 year old man. His love for his best friends children. These small moments gave me so much hope for Andy.

I loved how the story gave us Jen’s perspective for the last bit which shed more light on the breakup and her feelings as a woman as a whole. Andy and Jen are flawed people and readers can see themselves in each of them. Both are so complex and riddled with their own life issues that by the end you can’t really pick a side but ultimately wish them the best with their future. I wish we had more of Jen honestly. She would have brought to light a lot of our questions and ended a bit of the Andy suffering sooner. I think that maybe because I rarely read books explicitly from a male perspective that this was not the biggest hit for me.

I have to admit the cover of this book is what drew me in. Even tho I didn’t love it I still want to buy it, it’s absolute perfection for a contemporary book.

Now that being said, I had the same experience that I tend to often have with contemporaries, & that’s a pretty regular one. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great, it felt somewhat derivative, the subject matter has been explored millions of different ways by now. There’s nothing new or unique or special about this book (other than the cover) The voice wasn’t especially witty or deep or interesting, in fact I found our MC to be a bit on the annoying side. He was like ur typical Debbie Downer, the one who is constantly whining, always finds something to bitch about. I got so sick of his whining by the end.

3 stars is fairly generous as nothing about this book that is special, but it was still compulsively readable & never bored me, which goes a long way!

I received a gifted copy of GOOD MATERIAL by Dolly Alderton – thank you to Knopf!

GOOD MATERIAL follows Andy in a world of heartache. Andy is in love with his girlfriend Jen, but after a trip to Paris Jen announces that it is over. Andy can’t figure out what went wrong, but he’s suddenly single, without a home, and working as a stand-up comedian who isn’t exactly making a name for himself.

I’ve really enjoyed Dolly Alderton’s writing before, so I was really looking forward to this one. As I’ve come to expect from this author, this is a very character forward novel and she really does a great job of getting into the head of her characters. Andy’s heartbreak came through very well off the page along with his confusion.

I think the author did a great job also of showing heartbreak and the loss of the relationship for a more middle-aged character. Andy talks about the difference between being suddenly single as a young man with a feeling of new possibilities and a host of single friends to rally around him. In the present day, his friends are coupled off and a night out to cheer up a friend is much more complicated.

I did take a while to really feel connected to Andy and there were times that I felt like seeing his relationship with Jen when it was happier might have helped me connect with his grief, but I did really feel for him and enjoy his story. I also really liked the way the author ended the book!

I loved this!

I now need to read Alderton's backlist. I enjoyed this story and seeing the breakup from a male's POV. Seeing Jen's POV made this almost a five-star read because it completed the story. It was insightful, and the only reason it wasn't a five-star is that the first 30% were so hard to get through. Maybe it's because Andy is insufferable, but then after that mark, the story starts to come together.

4.5 stars!

Thank you, Netgalley and publisher, for the ARC.

I’ve enjoyed all of Dolly Alderton’s books, both fiction and non-fiction. This one was also excellent. Most of the book is seen through the a males point of view, which I’m not always a fan of, but Dolly wrote it well and I think captured the voice well. While I didn’t like him, and could see why his girlfriend had broken up with him, I did like also hearing her side of the story (it was brief, but helpful and accurate) in all I really enjoyed this book and recommend it highly.

This has been a book I have been anticipating for a while and was quite surprised by it! To begin, I have never really read a book that centers are a male characters perspective on top of his coping with his breakup. I went into this story pretty blindly expecting just a regular rom-com and when I started there was so much potential in what the plot can unravel into that had me excited.

This book fell a bit flat for me because I felt there was a lot of dancing around a lot of core aspects of the plot. I would have loved more insight into Andy's comedy & his writing process, as well as just a bit more about him as a character. In his perspective, everything was very surface-level (which after finishing seems partially purposeful) but there was still more that I craved to know.

The last chapter, for me, really saved the book because it gave all the emotions, lessons, and experiences I wanted throughout the entire plot. I liked Andy's funny experiences that add up throughout the book, but there was no direction except entertainment as they came. Jen's perspective seemed like it could have added a whole other POV throughout the book to add more complexity. I loved how Dolly Alderton portrayed her feelings and found it to be such a standout piece from any other modern rom-com.

Overall, I really wish this book connected with me more as opposed to Andy either getting drunk or talking about how much he misses his ex. :)

I feel like I saw this advertised as a romance so I was a bit surprised when the plot is actually a thirty something man getting over being broken up with by his girlfriend of four years.
Andy is a comedian whose career hasn’t really taken off and can’t seem to understand why Jen ended their relationship. The entirety of the book is him trying to solve it and navigating being single, his friendships and place in the world. Towards the very end, we get Jen’s perspective as well, which clarifies a lot of things.
Overall, this one was just ok for me. I didn’t dislike it, but I also feel like it’s not one that’ll stick with me.

Thank you Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, Knopf for allowing me to read and review Good Material on NetGalley.

Published: 01/30/24

Stars: 3

Okay -- judge me: I didn't like Andy. I didn't like Andy on page 1 and I didn't like Andy on page 336 or anywhere in between. Whiny and simple, that's Andy. I have avoided people like him in real life. I had to read this over several days. I just wanted Andy to go away.

There is a market for this type of humor, and I'm okay not being part of the grand scheme. I reread the synopsis and I suppose it is accurate minus funny and relatable for me.

I loved this book so much and am so thankful that I have discovered this author. I will now read all of her work (ha!). Her writing style is so natural and evocative. The story - recovering from a breakup - is one we have all experienced and she picked out the details that really put you in the characters’ shoes. Just brilliant.

So heartwarming and sweet, funny but also sad. Dolly’s characters are so incredibly real and recognizable, and few authors capture what it is to be in your late 20s/early 30s and a little lost so well. A great read.