hera, a 24-year-old aspiring journalist takes a job as a content moderator & accidentally gets involved with one of her older married coworkers. the affair begins to consume her entire life, as hera navigates her own journey into adulthood. i found myself relating to hera often, and loved her very dry sense of humour. wasn't expecting this to be a covid novel at the end, but didn't detract from the overall story.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC copy.

If you are looking for a book with a main character that you cant decide if you should love or hate then this is the book for you. The feelings that this book stirred in me were very reminiscent to Yellowface. At some point you know that you shouldn't be rooting for the character but once you are invested do you really even have a choice?

Hera is a mess, and can't we all relate honestly. Her decisions make you roll you eyes, but then you can also understand why she is making them. I am never a fan of infidelity and had no idea that was what this book was about when I picked it up but I was entirely too invested in the character growth to ever put it down.

If you are not a fan of pop culture references or the pandemic/lockdown then this may not be the book for you, and it may suffer a bit 5-10 years down the road in understanding, but as a current reader the whit, sarcasm, and happenstance of the book definitely kept me interested through the whole story.

Green dot follows mid 20s Hera as she navigates life in only the way people in their 20s do. Shes had a dull life post college and is looking for something, anything to bring that spark back to life.

And then she meets Arthur.

Arthur is a coworker of Hera’s in their cold news outlet office. He’s older than her and holds the spark she’s been looking for…one problem though, Arthur is married.

Hera finds herself captivated by Arthur in an all consuming lust turned romance. She finds this odd, as she has only previously dated women, but something about him grabs her and won’t let go.

I am not going to lie to you, I was 40% through my audio arc of this (thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio) when I decided I loved it and needed to own a physical copy.

Green Dot is humorous, sharp and deeply emotional. It takes us on a journey of wanting something so badly that we know isn’t going to end well for us, but we let it consume us whole anyway. It hurts in the same vein that Normal People or Acts of Desperation hurts, a love affair that makes you drop your entire life for one person. I think a lot of women and femmes can relate to this concept. The patriarchy has trained us from a very young age to put men’s needs over our own and to make ourselves available for them no matter what. I cannot speak highly enough of this book recommend it anymore. It’s smart and funny but will also make you feel things you probably haven’t felt in years (if you’re in your 30s like me) Green Dot is out now!

This book was delicious. Think "A Novel Obsession" (by Caitlin Barasch), but set in the workplace. My millennial girls who grew up on tumblr will LOVE this. It's very "things we all think/feel/hope about how we come across and how worthy others find us, but also feel too embarrassed to acknowledge" - do we know what I mean? That early stage of an almost-relationship where you feel high and invincible, but also so soft and vulnerable, and a little bit prone to a spiral? I adore books that live in that zone. It's like going back to a shabby old apartment I used to live in in my early 20s, but feels nice to revisit in a nostalgic way, even if god knows I'd never want to actually live there again.

Hera is in a workplace that doesn't exactly inject the wonder of living into her days. She's just going along with it and making do when she is struck by a flicker of lively, human exchange with a coworker - the sort of chemistry that feels even more intense just because the surroundings are especially bleak and absent of any vivid quality whatsoever. Hera and this coworker start off messaging each other using the internal IM and soon fall into a relationship that shakes up both their lives - in a bad way.

This book was compulsively readable, relatable, and very engagingly written. I tore through this audiobook (my kudos to the narrator, Sasha Simon, as well! The voice and inflections suited Hera so well, it was an absolutely immersive experience) in 1.5 days - couldn't put it down!

I was rooting for our main character Hera to figure her life out, but also deeply disappointed by her choices. (Being with a married man). This book felt really relatable as Hera was a well-fleshed out, complex character who you couldn't help rooting for while asking, why Hera, why? You deserve better. .

Thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Hera has finally finished school. She has mastered the art of attending classes, and has gone so far as to earn multiple degrees. But finally it is time to join the workforce, however, Hera has no idea what she wants to do, and feels no passion for anything job-related. So she finally nails down a job as a social media moderator, but the only thing she finds remotely interesting in her job, is the middle-age man that shares her work space, Arthur. As her relationship with Arthur matures, she finds herself in a situation all in itself, hoping for something that will never come.

This is a coming of age novel based in pre and post Covid Australia. Truthfully although the author wants this to be a new story, this is a tale as old as time, and the outcome the same as always. The only thing different is the main character Hera, who for myself, I struggled to relate with in any way. Although it was well-written, and the audio quality was good, I di not find this to be my cup of tea, and just could mesh with the story much at all. I admit though, this could be a personal feeling.

I LOVED THIS BOOK. I loved the narrator, the story, the realness just everything was blended together perfectly to make this a five star read. I understand why this book might not be for everyone but it was exactly what i wanted.

I think this is closer to a 4.5 instead of a full five, but the more time that goes by since I finished this, the more I love this book. I saw a review on Goodreads that said "She is delulu but aren't we all?" and I think that really sums up the book. I always enjoy stories where we really just spend a bulk of the time in the MC's head in an almost stream of consciousness narrative structure as the MC navigates everyday problems (many of which created by the MC herself). This book really felt like I was listening to a friend make absolutely ridiculous life choices but you just lover her anyway.

This novel was like finally being on Facetime with your wittiest, most clever friend, whom you haven't spoken to in years, and getting to live vicariously through her outrageously fun, complicated, and morally questionable recent years as she catches you up.

While I am almost always impressed with debuts, Madeleine Gray's uniquely smart and real voice sold me on reading her next novel. I highly recommend listening to the audiobook; Sasha Simon is a perfect fit as Hera.

Thanks to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, Madeleine Gray, and Sasha Simon for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I had mixed feelings about this book but overall it ended up being ok. Anyone that has been in the wrong relationship at the wrong time will be able to identify with the plot. You are in your mid 20s, floundering, meet someone you can't have, fall in love, find out they are married/attached, they promise things and then someone ends up heartbroken. There were a lot of loose ends that weren't tied up but I think that was intentional as the focus was the affair which sounded exhausting.

I was drawn to Green Dot because of the Fleabag comparisons. Despite loving Fleabag and seeing some similarities, Green Dot didn't work for me and it's hard for me to pinpoint why. I wish Hera was more self-aware or that the book poked more fun at Hera's lack of self-awareness.

Positives were: Grey has a very distinct voice and I enjoyed the narration.

Green Dot by Madeleine Gray is about Hera, a 24 year old woman working in content moderation. Her job is incredibly tedious, but it starts to look up when she meets Arthur. Arthur is one of the most respected journalists in the office and the two of them have an instant connection. The only obstacle to their grand love story is his wife.
Hera was very relatable in that she is completely lost and keeps making terrible decisions. I spent much of the book mentally screaming at her choices, but when you are that age, they make sense. The narrator was fantastic and I loved getting to listen to the Australian accents.

First I would like to thank Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with a free copy of this audiobook..

This is the story of Hera, a 25 yo bored woman who finds herself in an affair with a married man.

The first part of the book is just about her, trying to navigate young adulthood and the office world. This part was absolutely hilarious and reminded me much of my own experience.

The other and main part is about the affair. It was so beautifully written. Yes the characters make unjustifiable choices and this story show some of their worst traits. But it was so beautifully written. This sordid and kinda cliché story is so heartfelt, so real, so sad you can't turn your back on Hera even though you would probably want to slap her back to reality IRL.

It was a beautiful book, and perfectly narrated.

There’s definitely a demographic for this book, but it just wasn’t for me. I’m learning that I rarely enjoy books categorized under “humourous fiction” because the humour & wit typically aren’t something I resonate with. This book had moments of relatability and humour that made me laugh out loud, but it lacked any real depth. The plot was predictable and overused, with a young woman having an affair with an older man, struggling with her self-worth, and feeling frustrated with the corporate world. I also didn't like the mention of covid in the last 30%, as it seemed unnecessary to the development of the plot.

This being said - if you typically enjoy humorous and satirical fiction and are looking for a light read, this book might be for you. I highly recommend the audiobook! The narration was excellent, which made the book slightly more enjoyable for me.

Read if you like:
💁🏼‍♀️ Unhinged FMC
🏳️‍🌈 Bisexual FMC
🤣 Dark Humor
💬 Instant Messaging Logs
🌚 Morally Grey Characters
📔 Bridget Jones Diary

This book literally made me cackle while reading it and at some points going “same, Hera, same” to her honestly sometimes messed up but we all think it but don’t say it thoughts about work and life.

Hera is who we all were in our early 20’s when we think we are the shit and have the world figured out but really we are just idiots with underdeveloped brains that make really stupid choices.

As someone who in their early 20’s had a thing for an older male superior at work and didn’t have any logical sense when it came to that crush I totally identified with Hera even though I never had a relationship with the coworker, I would have if he had reciprocated for sure and it would have been so messy, just like Hera’s messy af affair.

Thanks so much to the publisher for my ALC and the good laugh in exchange for my honest review.

First off, this is really, really funny. I listened on audio but part of me wished I had a physical copy so I could note all the times this book made me laugh. It is also real. If you are a recent grad who doesn’t know what to do with their life you will likely see yourself in this. It is wistful and youthful and relatable.

There is a romance but it is the type that will have you yelling at the main character. It is not always a couple you will root for. “You will never stop trying to catch my eye, and then have nothing to say when you do” have you ever loved someone like this? Has your best friend ever loved someone like this? It is horribly relatable and as much as I may want to shake Hera sometimes, I can sympathize with her and her journey.

Overall this was a very funny and mostly lighthearted read. I loved it! Will be a great book club discussion! 4.5 stars

I really enjoyed the narrator Sasha Simon. Often I find that audiobooks are hard to speed up when the narrator has an accent; in this case, the book is set in Australia. However, that wasn't the case with Green Dot and my max speed was 2.15x. Anything over 2x is a gold standard in my book.

Green Dot was an interesting story that I was unsure I knew how to feel about while reading most of it, but by the end of it, felt like I had gone on an emotional rollercoaster with FMC Hera. I am pretty far removed from my days as a 24 year old but I still found her relatable in the way that we often wish we could be as naive as we were in our 20s. While it's true that I had a strong guess for how the story would end, and I would be right, author Madeleine Gray took us on a journey without the FMC doing much. I recently read another book where the FMC didn't go much of anything but it fell flat and boring. Green Dot reads like an emotional rollercoaster you can't help but finish.

Five stars for the narrator
Four stars for the book

As always, Macmillan Audio you are the apple of my eye; thanks for approving my request to listen to this ALC!

A 4.5? Maybe? I really really liked this. I am sucker for a delusional girl trying to figure out her 20s. I honestly felt this was a fresh take on this type of story. The writing was quick and funny. I kind of loved how we were always on the edge of hating and loving Hera. She was honestly a little too relatable at times. I am only not giving this 5 stars I think because I dont feel head over heels in love with this book, but I truly liked it a lot.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for sending me an ARC of Green Dot in exchange for an honest review.

Hera is a 24-year-old woman who lives with her father in Sydney, Australia. She’s finally finished school with an art degree but she has no real interest in actually working. So she bluffs her way into a position working for a news website as a content moderator, and it’s there that she meets Arthur, a 40-something British journalist. At first, she finds Arthur diverting, a bright spot in a dreary job. Soon, though, she falls for him, and falls so hard that she chooses to maintain the relationship even after she learns that he’s married.

On one level, Green Dot is a very late Millennial/Gen Z story. Hera works only because she has to, and is no happier working in an office than she is working retail. She is deeply cynical about capitalism, and quickly understands the insanity of her content moderator job, where she flags but never actually bans the posters of inappropriate content. She’s bisexual, and regularly engages in casual sex at various points throughout the story (though almost always off-page). She knows that she shouldn’t try to find value in making others happy, but she cannot seem to help herself. Hera often sounds like a blend of my own 20-something kids.

On a more important level, Green Dot is a timeless story of love. Hera knows—she knows—that she is risking her heart by giving it to a married man. But each time she learns a troubling new fact about Arthur, and has the chance to walk away, she chooses to stay even though staying slowly shrinks her life in ways she doesn’t like. Hera is that messy friend who’s life looks so incomprehensible from the outside, except here, Hera is explaining why she made each choice she made, why she always thought her decisions would work out a bit better than they did. The story is often funny, and written in a very engaging, conversational style. The audiobook’s narrator, Sasha Simon, did an excellent job bringing Hera to life.

Green Dot probably won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but it should be. Hera is a fascinating character, imperfect but charming in her way. You may think you know how the story will end, and you may be right, but you’ll be rooting for her on the journey (which, as my kids would tell, is the friends she makes along the way 😄). 4.5 stars rounded up to five. Highly recommended.

Unfortunately this book just wasn't for me. I found the main character extremely unlikeable and annoying. It was hard to sit through the audio and I was never eager to listen.