Thank you NetGalley and Faber for the sampler. Of course the sampler has left me counting down the days to publication. This seems to be Sally Rooney at her best. Inner thoughts and feelings of characters, so precise and sharp, I found myself reading and rereading.

‘I know that you are a person with desires, and so am I, even if I am helpless to do anything about this knowledge.’ Ivan and Margaret’s initial encounter is sweet, sometimes awkward, although never uncomfortably so, with perfectly built suspense and intrigue. I need to know what happens next. Five stars! Full review on Goodreads to come.

Huge huge thank you to Faber for allowing me to read this sample of one of my most anticipated reads of the year! I was on cloud nine after receiving the email as I've adored Sally Rooney's work for years and Normal People is probably what brought me back to my bookworm roots as an adult.

Straight away you can tell this is going to be something special and I can't wait to read this in the evenings, savouring every single word.

Unsure what to make of Peter as of yet but very intrigued to see where his arc will go; immediately feeling very protective over Ivan, there's such an innocence to his interactions with Margaret that's so compelling and I can't wait to dive in deeper.

I really wanted to enjoy this but found myself struggling to follow what on earth was happening. It felt like an endless stream of thought that no made sense. Sadly, not for me.

I don't know what else to say except that I am blown away. Sally Rooney you have done it again! If these first 50 pages are any indication this will be a stellar 5 star read for me, I can't wait to dive into the meat of this story and really figure out the characters -- arguably the best part of Rooney's craft! I'm elated!!

I cannot wait to read the whole of this book! The prose is beautiful and I’m so intrigued with how the story is going to go.

Thank you NetGalley for accepting me to read the first 50 pages - what can I say? It’s really good, and I really can’t wait for the 24th of September!

Sally Rooney is a MASTER at her craft!!! Her writing never fails to surprise, enrage and enrapture... I am so so excited to read the rest the second its out!

I found the change in voice here utterly triumphant. Having adored the first two books, and been less keen on the third, I can't wait to read the rest of Intermezzo. Thank you for the sample.

My thanks to Faber & Faber Ltd and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read a sampler from ‘Intermezzo’ written by Sally Rooney in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Peter and Ivan Koubek are brothers and as well as having an age difference of ten years they’re completely different in character.
It’s difficult to give a review after having read just the first two chapters of ‘Intermezzo’ and I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy it especially as the sentences in the first chapter were short, abrupt and not easy to read, but once I’d moved on to chapter two I was hooked. I much preferred Ivan who I found the most interesting of the two brothers with his dental brace, his awkwardness and lack of social graces, and the description of his interaction with Margaret was perfect. I’ll now have to be patient until I can buy the full copy of the book and continue with the story.

This sampler provides the first two chapters of Sally Rooney’s highly anticipated new novel. Although short this has given me a good chance to get used to and appreciate the unique writing style and give me a taste of what is to come. Really looking forward to reading the whole book soon!

We're in for a treat with this one.

After reading the sampler chapters, I found myself enamored with the writing style. Rooney delivers delicately crafted relationships, emotions, and character flaws woven into distinct, engaging prose. There’s so much to unpack here, and I can totally see Intermezzo becoming my fall obsession.

*sigh* If only my full-length copy would arrive sooner!

It took a while to get used to the writing style but once I did I got really into it. I really enjoyed this sampler. Looking forward to reading the rest of the book.

As an avid reader and reviewer, Sally Rooney is a name I've heard quite often in the book community - and a divisive one, at that. I had never read any of her work, and so I was excited to read this sampler of her upcoming novel, Intermezzo. I knew going into the sample that her writing style omits traditional dialectic form, in that there is an absence of quotation marks. Despite being aware of this going into the book, it still came as a bit of a shock to me and it took me almost the entire first chapter to finally get used to the writing style. But once I did... I loved it. The bluntness in which Rooney writes provides almost a staccato-like effect. I never knew what I was going to get with the next sentence, and I enjoyed that it kept me engaged with the story. I also feel like this particular style encouraged active reading, and made me actually think about what I was reading.

As for the story itself, my thoughts are limited, as I only read the first two chapters. That being said, though, I really enjoyed Ivan's chapter. Perhaps its because I had a whole chapter before it to become acclimated to the writing style, or perhaps I just resonated more with Ivan's early 20s, braces-wearing, chess-playing, awkward character. Either way, I distinctly enjoyed reading about Ivan more so than his older brother, Peter. I'm hopeful that this will change once I am finally able to read the story in its entirety, but I'm so thrilled to have gotten this sneak-peek into one of Fall 2024's most anticipated reads!

Thank you to the publisher via NetGalley for providing me with a sampler of Intermezzo by Sally Rooney in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and are not influenced by any third parties. #Intermezzo #NetGalley #LitFic #LiteraryFiction #SallyRooney

This little sampler has me hooked! Sally rooney has done it again! I absolutely love her writing and she has kept that up. Will definitely purchase the book as I'm hooked

The book follows two brothers - the elder, in his early 30s, struggling (as usual) with finding himself, and experimenting with love, despite being drawn to a woman he dated years previously; the younger, in his early 20s, and perhaps on the autism spectrum, finding his path in life - personally and professionally.

The book is, as usual with the author, superbly well written. The words and sentences flow seamlessly into each other, making the reading experience feel like an infinite stream, slowly moving along the meadow. The characters are, also as usual with the author, troubled and struggling with internal doubts, endlessly questioning each and every choice they make. That being said, this book does seem to be more mature than the previous ones by the author, offering a more balanced view of the protagonists' psyche - while the indecisiveness remains, the perpetual suffering (often self inflicted) so prevalent in the previous books is muted here, with the characters being more at peace with themselves (albeing not fully there yet).

I enjoyed the sampler very much, and look forward to reading the full novel once its out. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this excerpt in return for an honest review.

Ah, this definitely hooked me in! I wasn't such a fan of the POV of the opening chapter, so I wasn't sure if I was going to like it, but once it switched to Ivan and Margaret I was gutted when the sample chapters ended!

Looking forward to reading the rest of the book, I wasn't sure from the first chapter but it drew me in and I wanted to keep reading, particularly about Ivan. The prose is classic Sally Rooney with no speech marks and lots of missing function words, this requires concentration so it won't be an easy read.

I'm a big fan of Normal People and I love to play chess, so this book caught my attention. Unfortunately, the sample is so short that I don't know enough to rate the book. I got a tease of the book, but not enough to grab my attention. I would read the book if it was in the library, but I'm not sure if I would pay full price for it.

The book is mainly written in a stream of conscious style which definitely succeeds in giving proximity and making the reader feel very close to the action, at times it was too much and felt almost claustrophobic. I don't think I want to know every thought and insecurity going through their heads.

In the sample, Margaret makes a decision that seems very sudden and not really developed. We see it from her POV because if it came from Ivan's it would seem like a male wish fulfilment fantasy.

A new Sally Rooney you certainly don’t want to miss.
The first 50 pages have already packed a punch, Rooney’s characters are like no other - two brothers who couldn’t be more different, and you feel for both immediately. Rooney’s way with words let you dive right into the story, full of grief, love and family dynamics.
I cannot wait to read the entire novel. Thank you faber for the sampler.

I really liked it, and it left me wanting more. Sally Rooney is one of my favorite writers and she never disappoints with her books. I'm eager to get the physical copy and keep reading because they can't leave me like this, just when it was getting really interesting. Thank you, NetGalley, for the advance copy.