Anything written by Sally Rooney is almost guaranteed to be a best seller. Having been given a taste of Intermezzo by Negalley I would expect this to be her bestseller yet. It tells the story of brothers Ivan and Peter, two opposites who appear to live very different lives with no familial closeness despite having just lost their father. Peter is a human rights lawyer and is ten years older than Ivan, a chess player whose rankings are decreasing. Ivan nervously starts a relationship with Margaret, fourteen years his senior, who he meets at a chess convention. Peter is in a discreet relationship with Naomi but appears to be attached to Sylvia, who he was involved with until she had a life changing accident. The first few chapters tell us a bit about these brothers and their lives. I am looking forward to reading the whole book to see how the story unfolds. I would say this is Rooney at her best. Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this excerpt of what I expect to be an amazing book.

5⭐️

Although this was only a sampler I was straight away so into it! I love Sally Rooney’s writing and can’t wait to read this book in full!

I was lucky enough to hear Sally read the first few pages of Intermezzo at her Waterstones Piccadilly signing and was completely absorbed. Even though the sampler gives a preview of just the first two chapters, I was captivated by her writing and descriptions of the characters. It very much feels like the standard Rooney novel, with her typical writing style, dialogue and streams of consciousness but in some ways it feels more mature. I can’t wait to read the rest!

Though short, this sample of Intermezzo is gripping and I am absolutely hooked. I feel invested in the characters already, and am extremely excited to pick up the full novel!

Thanks so much for this sampler!

So far, we have two brothers who have just lost their father and follows the two navigating their lives with this new grief. There is around a ten year age gap between the two men but both are adults and we start to see the differences in their lives, we get a little bit of insight onto their respective relationships with their late father as well as their blooming relationships with their lovers/girlfriends.

The first couple of chapters were really interesting because of the way Sally Rooney writes the two brothers POVs. I really feel like I'm experiencing what the characters are feeling . This has reminded me how much I enjoy this author's writing style and I'm so excited to see what comes next

This was an enjoyable sampler. I found Sally Rooney’s pace of writing enjoyable. Her ability to draw the reader in with descriptive dialogue is an element to her writing that has drawn me to this book. The subject matter appears very interesting and has encouraged me to buy the book to see where the story leads.

As good as I would expect from Sally Rooney - can't wait to read the whole thing if the rest is anything like the sampler!

Nuanced and thought-provoking as always - this was a sampler that I defy any reader not to left asking for more. Looking forward to reading the whole novel. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher

I think Sally Rooney is a fabulously talented author, and their stories always evoke emotions within the readers from happiness, to love and sadness. Within this small snippet, Rooney has already given us a glimpse to what is an incredible tale.

This wasn’t for me. There is nothing wrong with the writing but it just wasn’t to my taste. I didn’t like the present tense writing.

Sally Rooney’s writing is truly something else. This book has everything to be a masterpiece. I can't wait to read the rest.

I don't think anyone writes quite like Sally Rooney. I was fortunate enough to be able to read a few chapters of this and I was hooked.

I hadn't been sure if I was going to purchase it before, but now I definitely am!

I loved this and it’s made me really look forward to reading the rest, it was an amazing introduction. I’m intrigued to see where Rooney takes it.

Thank you Netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is Sally Rooney at her best! I have read some of Rooney's other works, and while I didn't dislike them, they did leave something to be desired. Intermezzo however, felt like the sweet spot I've been looking for in her work. Gorgeously poignant and emotional, some passages left me feeling breathless. This made me extremely excited for what Rooney writes next, and also has me considering rereading her previous work with fresh eyes.

I downloaded this by mistake thinking it was the full book not the sample. It looks good and I look forward to reading the actual book.

i feel like the prose for this book is VERY daunting but the characters seem interesting and i might tackle it when i’m not on the edge of a reading slump ❤️‍🩹

Receiving this ARC felt like winning a golden ticket! Thank you Faber books for the ARC of Intermezzo. I received the first few chapters of this book and I am so glad I only have to wait until Tuesday to read the rest.

In the chapters that I read, Sally Rooneys talent for writing intricate characters shines through and I am incredibly intrigued to find out what happens next. I have a feeling this will be her best book yet and so if you enjoyed her other works, Intermezzo is definitely not to miss! And if you haven't read her other works well...this is your sign to pick up Intermezzo regardless 📚

No spoilers, but Ivan's pov is my favourite so far 🤐

Though this was just a brief glimpse, the insights offered through Peter and Ivan's perspectives were incredibly vivid and uniquely crafted—truly emblematic of Rooney's style. Peter's narration had the feel of an unrestrained stream of thought, capturing a deep desire for freedom and escape from his circumstances. In contrast, Ivan's viewpoint came across as a heartfelt attempt to connect with others, blending the complexities of social interaction with an underlying sense of yearning. I find myself anxiously counting down the days until I can fully immerse myself in the story and explore these characters in greater depth. Each moment of waiting feels longer than the last, as my curiosity builds for what lies ahead!

I was lucky enough to read the first 50 pages of Intermezzo as I was provided with a sampler. I was introduced to two very different brothers Peter and Ivan.

From the description and the small portion of the book I was provided with, I can say that I am very eager to read more of. I will definitely be purchasing the book.

However due to only being provided with a sampler I don’t feel able to rate this higher than 3 stars as I don’t feel I have enough info to base my decision on.

As a die-hard Sally Rooney fan, I was so excited to read this sampler ARC. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity.

Intermezzo follows two brothers, Peter and Ivan, who couldn't be further alike from each other. I don't read a lot of books with the main POV's being young men so it was an interesting perspective to take on the story.

The lack of quotation marks for dialogue, in true Rooney fashion, allows the reader to follow the story like its one long-running internal monologue. Particularly in Intermezzo, the descriptions and the dialogues blur into one and it almost feels like you are inside the characters head. I like that we can get a lot of context and world building from small snippets of sentences in between the plot progressing.

Eagerly awaiting for my copy to arrive so I can continue the story.