After meeting a man at her friend’s writing club, aspiring writer, Enola falls deeply in love with him. When their relationship isn’t what she expected, Enola is thrown into a spiral of feelings not only towards her relationship, but towards her mother and her childhood after the death of her father. Two years go by and these feelings become harder and harder to ignore.

Rating: 5/5 stars ⭐️

This book was frustratingly beautiful and it had me feeling so many emotions. A lot of the story hit home with me as a writer and as a woman. There were points were I felt so connected to Enola and then I was so connect to Ruth.

The author does a fantastic job at writing in this tone that feels like a steady stream of consciousness. I felt like I was listening to Enola tell her story to me.

The dark topics in the book are handled with grace and just done well. Abuse (mostly mental) and its effects were described well and respectfully.

Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt Company for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Can’t wait for What It’s Like in Words to be published in December!

Such a poignant and honest story about those toxic situationships you find yourself tangled in when you're still young, but not quite as young as you used to be. Characters were well-drawn --- the romantic interest is appropriately priggish. While Enola's decisions were sometimes frustrating, they were also relatable. I loved the way Moss wove her back story throughout the book, and the depiction of her slow unraveling felt believable. Recalled Genevieve Wheeler's Adelaide, but a bit less whimsical.

A story of a toxic relationship a woman being gas lit by a man.I was so caught up in the story I hated to put it down.So well written an author to follow.#netgalley #henryholt

I felt a range of emotions while reading this book, mostly frustrated and sometimes stressed regarding the main character, Enola. Enola's relationships were quite turbulent though her best friend Ruth had a "healthy" awareness to help her through.

I would rate What It's Like in Words 3.5 stars. The dialogue format, or lack thereof, in most of the book was confusing. The story line did keep me on my toes and I wanted to find out what happened next. Content was pretty heavy at times and while I fell into a slump while reading this, I believe Moss captured true emotion through the characters in this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for the arc.

Amazing writing, but you’ll need a therapy session after, if not a stiff drink! Five coming-of-agey stars

HOOO boy this book made me so mad I needed to go lie down in a dark room midway through. I honestly don’t know if I’ve ever read a book with a more frustrating protagonist, and there were so many moments where I wanted Ruth to step aside so I could slap some sense into Enola. I thought the author did a fantastic job portraying the addictive, drug-like high “love” can give you. It hit extra hard for me because I’ve just recently gone through a breakup that had me feeling the exact same pathetic way as Enola did immediately after we broke up (but the difference is that I didn’t act on it, ENOLA). Jokes aside, this was a compelling and difficult look into narcissistic abuse in a relationship and I couldn’t tear myself away from it.

One small critique - although Enola’s relationship with her father was a clear underlying theme throughout and it was pretty obvious from the start what her father did, it felt like the reveal was still little rushed and glossed over. For such an important aspect of Enola’s background and her view on relationships, this “payoff” ultimately felt like an aside.

I still really enjoyed this (impressive that I can still enjoy something that made me want to throw it across the room no less than 5 times while reading) and I can’t wait to hear more from the author! Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for this ARC!

The storyline is great! If you have ever had a hard relationship or a relationship that just wasn’t meant to be for you, then you will definitely be able to relate to this book! I personally didn’t care for the writing style. However, it is a good read.

Synopsis:
Enola, an aspiring author, finds herself captivated by the outspoken, effortlessly cool guy she meets at writer’s night. Instantly drawn to him, she tries to prove herself equally cool. Ensnared by his enigmatic charm, Enola grapples with the trajectory of their relationship over the next two years.

Review:
What It’s Like in Words is the All Too Well of novels. We know it’s sad, we despise the love interest, we see it's a toxic relationship, yet we're enthralled by its beauty and can’t help but scream the lyrics whenever it comes on. What It’s Like in Words presents an emotionally turbulent journey, but it's a poignant narrative of a girl many of us have been at some point. Enola's partner is abusive— he gaslights her, is manipulative, and consistently mistreats her throughout their relationship. Still, Enola clings to fleeting moments where he appears kind and decent. I loved Enola’s best friend in this book, who immediately saw red flags yet continued to support Enola through the course of the relationship. And even though the relationship is the main focus in this novel, it’s also worth mentioning that the childhood trauma Enola works through is also relative and relatable.

The dialogue and dual timeline can be hard to follow at times, as there are no indicators that you are switching back and forth. However, I believe numerous readers can empathize with Enola and find parallels in their own experiences. I look forward to reading the next novel by Eliza Moss- what a wonderful debut!

Thank you NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

This review is up on Goodreads now and will be posted to social media one week before pub date, unless otherwise specified by the publisher.

Now this book is what I crave! I can already picture the series on Netflix if it was to happen. Hooked from the start. Juicy topics and characters. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

4.5⭐️ WOWW If you're ever curious as to what "gaslighting" looks like, read this book...
It felt really raw following Enola in this toxic relationship and praying and hoping she'll wake up and dump his ass. The format of the book was a bit confusing, but the overall story was frustratingly addictive 😍

What It’s Like in Words consumed my thoughts and emotions as I experienced Enola’s toxic relationship through her eyes, desperately wishing she would get out of it.

The writing immediately pulled me in though, after a while, I found it disheartening to read about Enola’s continued diminishment of her own needs and wants. Still, I appreciated this compelling character-drive story for its beautiful writing and for the startling reminder of how easy it can be to lose yourself in someone else.

Thank you very much to Henry Holt & Company and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this impressive debut.

Per Caitlin Barasch's blurb, "If you enjoyed Genevieve Wheeler's Adelaide [and] Carola Lovering's Tell Me Lies ... you'll tear through this dark and addictive debut," and I feel personally targeted (though I'd add Hanna Halperin's I Could Live Here Forever to that list). I loved those books, and I really enjoyed this one too.

Enola was an incredibly - almost painfully - believable protagonist, and she elicited a host of conflicting feelings in me, especially when her relationship with her best friend began to deteriorate. Oftentimes with debut novels, especially character-driven ones, the pacing starts to drag, but I never found that to be the case here - and I thought Moss's writing was beautiful.

That said, I didn't like the mystery-esque throughline - the book toggles between two years of her toxic love story and 24 hours in a deliberately veiled haze after an evening of violence. I found the former immersive and the latter not so much. I didn't feel it was necessary - while it added some intrigue, mostly it confused the narrative, and I would have preferred the two-year story on its own.

Thanks to Henry Holt & Company and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for providing this book, with my honest review below.

What It’s Like in Words was an interesting read for me but ultimately just not to my tastes. Eliza Moss is a talented author and this was well written and I enjoyed the layered background to Enola, our main character. What I couldn’t quite get into was the confusing start, which eventually made sense at the end. The other thing that didn’t jive was that ultimately Enola was just not a character I liked. Closing in on 30 she read more as approaching her 20’s, immature, especially emotionally. While this makes some sense in the context of her history I did want to shake her a few times and tell her to open up her eyes.

To get this reaction I give the writer credit for a vivid story, but I wasn’t able to immerse myself enough to really feel Enola’s journey. You may, and I encourage you to read it if you enjoy excellent writing and want to feel the rollercoaster of some bad relationships in your late teens.

What It’s Like in Words is an extraordinarily beautiful and poetic novel. The writing masterfully paints such vivid images that the story comes alive from the print in the most unique way. The story is written in the first person from the viewpoint of Enola, a struggling almost 30-year old who is still trying to find her voice on paper as a writer and in her own personal narrative. Her inner dialogue is raw and powerful and radiates her total vulnerability. As she delves into a new relationship and examines her past, toxic and unhealthy connections push her to the brink. In this gripping and masterful page turner, we see the intense and realistic struggle to assert oneself as a young woman in an often cruel and challenging world.

Review is posted on Goodreads and will be on Instagram ahead of publication.