The sampler introduces us to two brothers- Peter and Ivan Koubek. One a lawyer, the other a chess player. They are both dealing with the recent death of their father in their own ways. Rooney writes as eloquently as ever with the underlying angst of the protagonists and their awkwardness. Not many writers can convey emotions in such a compact manner. A unique perspective to relationships in modern-day Ireland.

I found this read to be very Insightful and thrilling read. Sally Rooney always writes thought provoking books with twists.

There's a real buzz every time there's a new Sally Rooney novel, and for a good reason! Intermezzo is another one to add to the list of perfection by Rooney!

Maybe I didn't have enough of Intermezzo by Sally Rooney to become invested in the characters, but this exert fell flat for me. Rooney's writing, as always, was simplistic but gracefully so. Yet, I was severely uninterested in the plot. My eyes enjoyed reading the words, but my heart could not hear them. I was excited to read this book, especially as it was a story that would focus on a familial relationship rather than a romantic one, but maybe I went in with too high expectations. Such is the curse of pedestaled authors. I will try this book again, when my memory has blurred and the hype has died down to go in with fresh eyes.

Absolutely fantastic - I've just finished the novel and it might be my favourite Sally Rooney novel thus far.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review

Sally can do absolutely no wrong. I can't wait to read the full book and experience yet another world shattering Rooney release.

Intermezzo has both Sally Rooney’s classic storylines: messed up character dynamics and complicated relationships. However, her writing style shifts entirely away from her other novels. Each of the perspectives are written in a style that illustrates how the character’s think. Peter’s, the lawyer and older brother, thoughts are disjointed, fast paced, and confusing to read; Ivan’s, the chess genius and younger brother, thoughts are rambling, a long stream of thoughts where he is hyperaware of himself and yet notices nothing at all. Instead of telling us who there characters our, Rooney writes it for us in through style. It is masterfully done, and I am excited to continue reading!

Looking forward to buying the full novel!! Sally Rooney is a great Irish author. I don't think this will live up to Normal People (one of my favourite books of all time) but from the sample, it seems this will be another emotional, heartfelt book.

This was a beautifully written sample of the main novel which has made me want to purchase the full novel.. I love Sally Rooney’s writing and her characters as immediately people you are invested in. I can’t wait to read the hole novel..

Great sampler - I wish it was the whole thing though!

Can't wait to read the whole book, it lives up to all of Sally Rooney's others!

I have mixed thoughts on this, but that’s partly due to the nature of it being a sample rather than the full book.

I was confused in the first chapter, as it felt like I had started in the middle of the book. I wasn’t sure if it was the writing style or grammatical errors. It was slow to get into and a bit confusing. The second chapter I enjoyed more and found the character of Ivan intriguing. His character was well described and the interactions between him and Margaret were suspenseful. The sample end point made sense but I think I would have needed a little longer to get me hooked. I’m in two minds about reading the rest, but likely leaning towards a yes.

Of course I jumped at the chance to read a sampler of Sally Rooney’s new novel after being such a big fan of Normal People.
Although only 50 pages I’m certainly excited to read more. I am already invested in the story, although maybe I’m not completely sold on the writing style as it felt a little disjointed. Having said that, I have seen nothing but good reviews since its release and I can’t wait to pick up a finished copy soon.

Intermezzo de Sally Rooney sigue explorando las complejidades de las relaciones humanas con su estilo característico, lleno de diálogos introspectivos. Aunque toca temas profundos, su manera de escribir, a veces demasiado minimalista, puede resultar fría y distante, lo que dificulta conectar con los personajes.

Muchas gracias por el sampler creo que si compraré el libro para terminar la historia pero me cuesta mucho leer a la autora.

I really enjoyed this little excerpt and am excited to read the rest of the novel in the next few weeks. Sally Rooney normally doesn't engage me this much, but this might change my opinions. Thank you, NetGalley, Faber & Faber, and Macmillan, for the Egalley excerpt of this novel.

Like every other literary fiction reader, I was so incredibly excited to read Sally Rooney’s new novel, and it absolutely did not disappoint! Rooney is back with her signature raw and slightly jilted style. As usual, she takes her time to explore unique relationship dynamics, this time with a focus on brotherhood and complex romantic relationships.

As with all of the books I’ve read by Sally Rooney, I’m blown away by her ability to write realistic three-dimensional characters that really draw the reader into their lives and inner thoughts. She focuses equally on her two main characters in this book, and while I obviously had one brother I enjoyed the perspective of more, I felt that she really nailed this shifting focus.

I get the overwhelming feeling that Rooney wrote this book as a means of exploring. She adopts a languid style of writing to organically move through the story and I really enjoyed the way she incorporated copious inner monologue alongside her descriptions to allow readers to really enter the minds of her characters.

As expected, the book is heart-breaking at times, and has an overall gloomy tone that can be hard to digest for long periods. However, overall I consider this another hit by Sally Rooney and I really enjoyed my time reading despite almost being in tears at one point. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone interested in brotherly relationships or who enjoy literary or Irish fiction. Make sure to check TWs before reading. 4/5

This was my first Sally Rooney book and after all the hype, I was somewhat disappointed. I found it too slow, long, and mainly packed full of angst, melancholy, and navel-gazing. The novel tells the story of two brothers and follows them in the months after their father’s death. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get into the flow of the story or feel engaged with any of the characters, and I struggled to finish it. It’s undoubtedly well written, Rooney is great at writing dialogue but I found myself emotionally detached from the characters. I’m sure her fans will love it but it just wasn’t my cup of tea. With thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC.

Sally Rooney is a genius when it comes to storytelling and I can't wait to read this book in full.

The hype for Rooney is well-deserved.

This took a few pages for me to get into it, but Ivan is exquisite and I absolutely love him already. I can’t wait to read the rest!

The sample teaser was tantalisingly short but full of promise. I'm sure Sally Rooney fans will not be disappointed. I look forward to reading the rest of the book. Thanks to NetGalley for an advance sample chapter to review

Absolutely loved this, Sally Rooney's characters are always a treat. Deeply flawed yet written in such realistic detail that you can't help but see bits of yourself in them, Intermezzo's protagonists - Peter and Ivan are compelling characters to follow and root for. While there's not much plot in this book, just getting to know these characters (and the rest of the cast) was enough to keep me engaged the whole way through, and I loved the exploration of family themes as well as grief, love and perception. By favourite Sally Rooney book so far.