Such a great read examining Margot's life through the men she has loved and/or been with. I really enjoyed how this wasn't a predictable romance where the main character has her happy ever after with her prince but instead had her own version of a happy ever after, where she was going after what she really wanted.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC.

🧡 REVIEW 🧡

As Young As This by Roxy Dunn
Publishing Date: 4th April 2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

📝 - Elliot. Joe. Tommy. Nathanael. Wren. Oliver. Malik. Zach. Frank. Patrick. Noah. These are the men Margot has loved, liked, lusted over. Through her encounters with these men, the reader watches Margot develop from a teenager to a woman in her mid-thirties, all the while still wondering if she will find the partner she so wants.

💭 - I really enjoyed the storyline of this one, and being able to understand the character in such detail throughout each chapter, and watch as she develops. Although the blurb suggests it is centred around her relationship with men, this book doesn’t just focus on sexual/romantic relationships, and discusses the impact of friendship/sisterhood/parents as she grows up. While there isn’t much of a specific plot line, and not everything about Margot’s life is necessarily realistic (towards the end I was really struggling to understand how she was sustaining herself financially…), that doesn’t matter quite so much as watching her character develop.

Is this one on your radar? Does it sound like something that might be up your street??

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I will be holding my breathe until Dunn’s next book. This felt like reading my own diary and made me tear up. Screaming about this book.

Beautifully written, made even more impressive considering this is Roxy Dunn's debut novel. I find it so relevant having the FMCs life told through her relationships, something that I relate to massively thinking about my 20s in relation to the men I was dating at the time. I can tell this book, and her future work is going to be a massive hit!

The story of Margot, a young actor living in London, told through the men she dated from her teens to early thirties. The frogs she kissed and the impact they had on her. Set in Norwich and then predominantly in London.
I loved this story, I loved how it was told in the second person and I loved Margot. She was at times frustrating and self-indulgent but this is what made her likeable and relatable.
I think this book is going to be a huge hit.

As Young as This is the author’s debut novel and I found it to be a compelling and immersive read. The main character is Margot and using second person narrative Roxy Dunn tells her story from her teens to her 30s through the men she has relationships with. I found Margot completely believable and although not all the relationships resonated with me so many of her feelings did, especially those she experienced during the relationships in her teens and early 20s. It’s quite an intense read, I felt a part of Margot’s life and also loved the author’s portrayal of Margot’s family and friends. An amazing debut that I would highly recommend.
4.5 stars.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

Margot tells the story of her teens through her thirties through the romantic relationships with various boys and men. The writing is good and the dialogue between Margot and her friends and family is very funny at times. I enjoyed Margot's family and her friend Lillie.
Some of the dialogue between Margot and the boyfriend of the moment is a bit samey, how does she meet so many witty people? Frank is the only one who feels different to the others.
I found the ending a bit drawn out, but overall an enjoyable read.

This novel looks at a young woman’s life, and in particular, the people that she has romantic relationships in from her first ever kiss towards her potential forever partner
The author has a distinctive modern voice, and the novel is particularly British. I think most readers will recognise themselves within the pages of this novel, either from the experiences of the narrator, or from other characters, who appear, and are well described.
This is a relationship novel, not very much happens, story wise, but you watch the young woman grows and learns from her successes and failures.
The novel is primarily of about heterosexual relationships, and as such the author puts her self within the demographic of young people who have not struggled as much as current teenagers with their gender identity.
The author has a clear easily read pro style, and the novel was an enjoyable read.
I would recommend this book for those who like a relationship novel. For example, Us or one Day by David Nicholls .
I read an early copy of the novel on NetGalley UK. The book is published on the 4th of April 2024 by Penguin, General, UK.
This review will appear on NetGalley, UK, Goodreads, and my book blog bionicsarasbooks.wordpress.com after publication, it will also appear on Amazon UK.

Most certainly a writer to watch, Dunn perfectly encapsulates the love affairs of a young woman and the uncertainty and pressure that comes with maturing to a place where the biological clock ticking can be deafening. I also very much appreciated everything not being wrapped up in a bow at the end.

I found this a really compulsive read, mainly courtesy of the really inventive use of second person narration - which I don't think I've ever read in an adult novel before, especially not a romance-centred book. We follow Margot ('you') over the course of nearly two decades of love & heartbreak. The relationships, from blossoming to end, felt mostly plausible and it was really easy to feel invested in Margot's emotional journey. A bittersweet gem of a read.

This was a moving, horrific, devastating, and wonderful story. It felt really personal and relatable, and I'm sure every woman would find something to relate to when reading it. The ideas and decisions that lead us to locate a spouse, as well as how these can alter over time, are analyzed with nuance and a straightforward simplicity in the book; something so obvious but when proven, it brings some weird clarity. Although the main character, Margot's, behavior is frequently questionable, the second character narrative makes this feel very personable, and I almost cannot criticize her - for being sincere in her honesty (which really choked me up at times) in her own account of how she arrived at the end point. A thrilling debut! I think it's a must-read and one to keep an eye out for in April 2024; I'm looking forward to seeing more from Roxy Dunn.

I didn’t enjoy the use of the second person, and found some of the text stilted and unbelievable. But it was overall an enjoyable story with an empowering climax.

I found myself really drawn in by this novel - it is painfully relatable, refreshingly honest and extremely well-observed. I loved the use of second person narratives (which I know not everybody will like!) and it worked so well with this narrative. Margot strikes me as an intentionally flimsy character and the structure really makes you consider how women filter themselves through their relationships. A cracking debut!

I loved this book! Moving and at points, quite melancholy. I thought that actually, this was a really realistic story about a woman's young adulthood, moving into her thirties. There's so much that is relatable to the story and how I wished the fantasy with Noah returning at the end was true! I think though, that just perfectly demonstrates how wishful thinking feels and how actually, realistic endings are both happy and sad. Would really recommend this!

This is a really interesting read.

Written in the second person, and being about such a challenging and personal topic with such powerful observations is definitely a novel experience which can sometimes feel quite pointed into one’s own mistakes. It makes it relatable - and sometimes painfully so.

It is not so much a “story” in itself but an extended character background. This makes it no less a solid read. The characters are completely three dimensional, keeping reader investment at a high.

Definitely a book I enjoyed reading, particularly from a structural viewpoint. I will be looking out for more by this author.

This was a poignant, awful, at times heartbreaking and yet beautiful. It felt relateable on a very personal level and I'm sure every woman will find something they can connect with when reading it. The thoughts and decisions that drive us to find a partner and how these can change with time but also the equation we have with parents, siblings and friends are assessed with nuance and a candid simplicity in the book; something so obvious but when confirmed it brings some strange clarity. Although the behaviour of main character, Margot, is often questionable, written in second character narrative makes this feel very personable, and I almost cannot criticise her - for being sincere in her honesty (which really choked me up at times) in her own account of how she got to the end point. A riveting debut! I think its a must read and one to watch out for in April 2024, I'll certainly look forward to seeing more from Roxy Dunn. Thank you @netgalley @PenguinUKBooks @VikingBooksUK for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest unedited review. All views are my own.