Adelaide

I can’t recommend ‘Adelaide’ enough. I really, really loved it. It hit all of the notes for me; strong writing, depth and complexity of the relationships, characters I fell in love with, fully -fleshed supporting characters and a really strong sense of place.

Beautiful and a moving exploration into what it is to love, and to be loved. I saw a lot of myself in Adelaide, in her way of loving, running her tank empty, and desperately seeking love. Wheeler wrote this book with so much compassion and care that I found myself borderline tears several times. I hated Rory, and loved him at the same time, for what he did to Adelaide, but also how he forced her to find herself. This entire novel is overflowing with love. There is love on every single page, between friends and sisters and found family. I simply loved the entire reading experience. This was like looking into myself a little, with my heart on my sleeve and reading about someone who was a lot like me, but also vastly different. Simply breathtaking.

Thank you to Aria Fiction for gifting me a copy of this book, I can honestly say this has been my favourite book I’ve read recently. Yes it’s pretty hard hitting and discusses some very delicate themes but my goodness it’s written so beautifully. A true raw and real read. The way it’s written is so clever, I became totally immersed and lost in the characters! I also enjoyed that all the characters were so different and it’s safe to say we all know a Rory! The ending was so profound and I just loved every bit of it. It makes me jealous of those people who haven't read it yet, I would love to experience it all over again!

I had an eye out for this book for a long time, so thank you for sending me this eARC!

As I'm writing this review, I'm still thinking about the story and trying to process it. This is not a light and fun story, but it's a story that slowly weaved itself into my heart, one that'll live there rent-free forever.
My heart broke for Adelaide. Seeing her put others' needs first and be such a kind person to everyone but still getting hurt was painful to read. And even though heartbreak plays a huge role in this book, it also covers topics like abuse, mental health, growth and the importance of (female) friendship. Adelaide's story isn't one of sunshine and roses but of healing and growth. That was portrayed beautifully in this book. It was great to see her asking for and getting help both professionally and from the amazing women in her life, who never judged and always supported her and to see her setting boundaries while staying true to herself. Adelaide never gave up, not on life and not on love.
Moreover, the writing was phenomenal. I'm a fan of Sally Rooney and her lack of quotation marks and I loved that that was the case here, too (don't worry, speech is written in cursive). The way Wheeler wrote about mental health was truly amazing because it felt authentic and respectful. Also, there's a quote that'll probably stick with me all my life:
"Pain is pain is pain. It was important to recognize your privilege, yes. To show gratitude, to count your blessings. But it was also important to acknowledge and accept your pain, to understand that no matter how large or small your problems, your losses, your wounds - they are yours. And you're allowed to feel them. The hardest loss will always be your own."
I apologise for this slightly chaotic and unstructured review, but these are just my thoughts at the moment ;)

I feel like whatever I say isn't going to live up to how much praise this book deserves...
What I can tell you is, I ATE up every single word of this, and when I'd finished? I just started at the wall, because WOW.

I was an emotional wreck, let me tell you.
Genevieves writing style is beautiful, and I defy anyone not be be deeply moved by Adelaides story. She has captured true heartbreak and devastation perfectly. I spent about 75% of this with a huge lump in my throat. I was screaming inside for Adelaide to run away, wishing she'd wake up and see she deserved so much more... but that's love isn't it? You're wrapped up in the lust and excitement. You're infatuated, ignoring the red flags and toxicity. We can all see bits of ourselves in Adelaide.
If you want real, raw and honesty, you'll get it in this book.

For a debut novel, I can only say I'm truly excited to see where Genevieve goes next. This was STUNNING! And the ending couldn't have been anymore perfect.

the book follows the journey of a woman as she ends up attempting to end her life after her relationship ends.

the story touches on such relatable topics. such as, relationships, teenagedom and mental illness in such a raw way.

the author perfectly portrays a toxic relationship between two people, through their story telling.

i enjoyed how the story touches on adelaide and rory’s lives before, during and after their relationship.

holy hell this was scarily relatable.

i... don't even know where to start or what to say? this is the story of Adelaide, an American twentysomething who is now living in London. Adelaide has a bit of a rough history, with mental health, men, her family life [in regards to mental health], etc. we meet her at a point where she's out living her life with her friends, drinking, having one night stands. until she meets Rory, when her world will never be the same again...

this is a very complex romance that delicately deals with mental health, death, and just how much you can love and care for someone and do everything for them who doesn't feel the same. Adelaide breaks by the end of it, but thankfully we have a satisfying final few chapters, epilogue, and resolution.

it is blatantly obvious how much of a red flag Rory is, though Adelaide is so willing to look past it and blame herself for not being enough. at some points she is genuinely conflicted with this, but Rory always draws her back in. Rory is a very complex character which is unpacked across this book, and i feel a mix of sympathy, hatred, and care for him (much like Adelaide did). doesn't excuse the toxicity that he exudes though (which, unfortunately, is very relevant in todays culture).

i think a lot of people will relate to this; especially in todays unfortunate dating culture. i felt so bad for her, how much she wanted to love and give her love to the wrong person, and i was rooting for her to have her happy ending (which she got!). this is a story of love, loss, addiction/abuse, mental health, and thankfully, healing.

this was beautifully written, tender, heartbreaking, but oddly satisfying. in some areas it reminded me of Claire Daverley's Talking at Night, a book i absolutely adore. Adelaide i think is a necessary read if you're in your 20s dealing with mental health/relationships/friendships and all. i cannot recommend this enough!

i feel like this review is a bit jumbled because i have no idea what to say but so many thoughts. i can't believe this is a debut novel!!!

thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc, much appreciated!

I was a bit worried by the selling point being for fans of Normal People as I'm not a fan of Sally Rooney's work as a whole but this book (for me) was fortunately nothing like this.

I liked the characters a lot (even if in the main they all live charmed, fairy tale lives) and found the explanation for how Adelaide reached rock bottom to be far more affecting than a lot of books with suicidal/depression themes. By the end I was really rooting for Adelaide and wholeheartedly loved the ending.

Navigating relationships in your twenties can be all encompassing and Wheeler captures beautifully raw way as well as Adelaide’s emotions and experiences from adolescence to adulthood. From the beginning you know where things are heading, but getting there it is heavy read (please look up trigger warnings before starting) but it is worth it. I wanted to keep turning the pages while also having to stop myself at moments from how much this book had me feeling.

If you’re looking for a toxic relationship, look no further. Adelaide and Rory provide it in abundance. Adelaide loves Rory with her whole heart and Rory is trash.
This is the book I didn’t know I needed but mended a little piece of my heart or at least helped me let it go, just like Adelaide. The most frustrating part about this story is that we have all either been an Adelaide before, or we know one. The frustration came from Adelaide allowing Rory to be completely terrible to her. She loved him so hard that she lost herself until she broke. She couldn’t see what her friends were seeing, she just kept trying to love him even harder until he loved her. Unfortunately, that never happened and Adelaide hit rock bottom.
I went through so many emotions through this book, and although there was so much sadness, it was so beautifully written that you come away feeling happy. Happy that Adelaide had so many good people around her and I just knew from the moment Bubs appeared on my page that I would love him.
Please don’t ignore the trigger warnings before reading this one – rape, emotional abuse, suicide. It’s a hard read.
“She knew not all love felt the same, but she tended to experience love in all consuming, dizzying proportions. She dove in headfirst. It was the only way she knew”

This was an interesting read which required multiple sittings for me to dive into. It’s a very honest, raw and truthful read and was full of very delicate topics which I think were handled well.

I found Adelaide a really interesting character to read about. She is a bundle of love and I would characterise this as a book of love. I appreciated her love for her sisters when it could have been portrayed in a negative manner. The highlight for me was the love between her friends and the difficulties there can be with navigating this whilst people are moving on in her life.

There are two many Rory’s in this world and he makes me sick. I suppose this also leads to my few criticisms of this book which was how even with her wedding vows she’s thinking of him…!! I also didn’t really like the lack of acknowledgment that yes, she did sometimes suck as a friend. She obviously was so full of love and this got misplaced. There was a comment earlier in this book on have you done this because you want to or do you want to be perceived as a nice/ kind person. There are so many lists of nice things she did for Rory but not for her friends and so the comments Madison made really hit home.

I loved the theme of people and things enter your life at particular times for a reason, this is something I believe strongly with books. I think I would love to read this book again in a few years when I’m in my late 20s.

Adelaide is frustrating, annoying, and oblivious, but she is also Bridget Jones. My heart ached for her, and I adored her. I wanted to hit her on the head, cuddle her, wipe her tears, and give her a good shake. The author wrote a book about a character that I could really empathize with. I think this is the fastest I have read a book this year. I loved it and will get a copy for my daughter too.

Thank you to netgalley and the author for giving me an arc to read this book before it is published in exchange for an honest review. I read this in a day and couldn’t put it down.

I felt so many emotions reading this book, so many that I feel absolutely drained emotionally (but in a good way).
This book took me on a whirlwind of emotions, I was flicking the pages (kindle pages) as quickly as I could to not miss any emotions or story about them. I felt so much reading this book that I think that the author did an amazing job writing such a poetic yet emotional story.
I felt:
- Sadness: Adelaide has so much going but yet Rory doesn’t seem to see what she is going through and how he is being selfish not validating her feelings. He is so consumed with grief that I felt like slapping him and shaking him to see what a beautiful person he has in front of him (that he doesn’t deserve)
- Anger: Anger that Adelaide is not opening her eyes at how he is using her. But mostly anger at Rory for making her hope and deceiving her.
- Joy: The first few chapters were beautifully written and showed so much joy to the reader. Seeing how their relationship blossomed and how she fell for him.

This book is a masterpiece of emotions and I really do hope that people enjoy it as much as I did. I would even recommend it to younger readers (16 and above) because it is such a good book to understand emotions in relationships and how sometimes we believe in something and are blinded by reality.
I would say that this book is very raw, it talks about pregnancy loss, self harm, mental health, emotionally abusive relationships and rape. It’s not a romance in it’s entirety and although there is a happy ending you have to go through a lot of hard feelings to get to it.

What a powerful, emotional, raw and beautiful book.

Thank you so much to the publisher and author for the advanced reader copy. This one will stay with me for a while.

I could not put this book down. I related to Adelaide so much - her big feelings, her endless empathy and her feelings of never being good enough.

I loved that this wasn’t a traditional love story. Instead, it showed what love should really feel like - comforting, and how friendships can be all the love we need.

Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous read and one I will highly recommend.

Firstly, thank you so much to Aria & Aries for this e-arc of Adelaide, I was so excited to read this.

*Trigger warning: suicide, sexual assault, mental health

'Jumped in with hesitation. It was chilling and exhilarating, like swimming outside in winter: an icy rush. But it was also painful and numbing and impossibly cold. It was never a comfortable kind of love, no matter how desperately she tried to bring warmth to their relationship.'

Adelaide is working in a corporate job in London when she suddenly stumbles into her Prince Charming, Rory Hughes. Yet, their not-quite-relationship sets the narrative's downward spiral for Adelaide's mental state. She can never do enough for Rory, always not quite slotting into his life, and she is never quite as good as his ex. It is a narrative that asks: what are the people in our life for, what do coincidences entail, and how can we love fully without losing ourselves?

Genevieve Wheeler's narrative opens with Adelaide's suicide before her downward trajectory is retrospectively recounted in real time for the most part of the book. This felt so much like the Prologue to Romeo and Juliet to me. We know what eventually happens to Adelaide. We don't know how her story continues, but we know that Adelaide is only half-alive at the start of the novel. What follows occurs in a misty haze that is overshadowed by this startling opening reality.

I found moments of reading the slippage of Adelaide's spiralling mental health to be quite difficult, and it is certainly a testimony to Wheeler's ability to formulate very real, disturbing and honest prose that this is the case. She captures trauma, the core values and beliefs that bind and sometimes constrict us, and the fallout that happens when we are betrayed so very vividly. So, although it was at points difficult to stomach, I really appreciate and value how Wheeler portrayed these dark realities of human experience, and how she never censored the more taboo aspects of mental health that are so important to speak openly about.

What I would say, though, is how much Wheeler's prose sparkles with her ability to make emotions resonate, capture the beauty of female friendships and relationships, and how she still manages to balance the darkness of her narrative with hope and humour. She also portrays personal characteristics and personality qualities, like people pleasing, and makes them relatable and sympathetic, rather than demeaning, an aspect of her writing style which I really appreciate.

I really enjoyed this book, and I can't wait to read more from Genevieve Wheeler in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book!

This is absolutely my favourite book I’ve read of 2024, evidenced by the fact that I was awake until 2:30am as I just could not put it down.

From the first page of this book I was absolutely hooked and felt immensely connected to Adelaide and so many of the side characters throughout. This is a story that so many can relate to and the way in which the author writes makes it impossible to not be hit with nostalgia page after page. Adelaide is such a relatable character and even when you want to shout at the pages over her actions, you can’t help but empathise with her.

The format of the book moving between years and locations to focus on the different characters is very satisfying and allows the pacing to be perfect. I really enjoyed how our main character was Adelaide and we understood her thoughts and feelings, with just a dash of the insight into other characters’ perspectives.

Though the book focuses on romantic relationships and love as the blurb suggests, the strength of true friendships and family feels just as prominent and even more important. The interactions between Adelaide and her friends feel well thought out and real.

This book reminded me of ‘Everything I know about Love’ by Dolly Alderton and the series based on it in the best way possible. Before I was even 20% of the way through the book I was searching for more by this author and was astonished and disappointed to realise it’s her debut novel! I can’t wait to read more from her.

This book will have you in tears in every way imaginable and will conjure memories and nostalgia from the very first to the very last page. I couldn’t recommend this enough (I already have to numerous people).

LOVED this book! Definitely not what I was expecting. I thought it would be more of a typical love story read. The writing was right up my alley, I swayed from loving and hating certain characters, which made this a real rollercoaster ride.
Can’t believe this is a debut novel!

My heart ached for Adelaide, someone who tried so hard and felt she was either too much or not enough! This book covers some heavy subjects, please check yes. I read this one very quickly and it definitely is an emotional read.

📚 review 📚
adelaide - genevieve wheeler

where do i even start with this book? we all know by now that i am a sucker for a #sadgirlnovel and you don’t get much sadder than this. for me, adelaide is a modern day esther greenwood - this is a very raw, very real and so millennial it hurts story of a girl living in london just trying to be enough and feeling like she is failing miserably.

if you’ve ever felt inadequate - this book will bring you to your knees. i think we’ve all been adelaide at least once in our lives and as bleak as her story gets at points,
there is a resounding no hopefulness that shines through.

there are quite a few content warnings so look after yourself and check before diving in. adelaide isn’t always an easy read but one that will leave an impact and me being the lover of #sadgirlnovels that i am devoured it.

this was originally indy published but now has a rerelease and a new cover (ngl i preferred the original!) adelaide is out on 7th november, big thanks to @netgalley
for the early copy.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for advanced copy for my review.
The book follows Adelaide and begins with her in hospital feeling suicidal after a relationship break up so we know we are in for a bumpy ride. The book covers topics of mental health, loss, love and friendships. Adelaide is living in London after moving from America. She is living with housemates and works in events. The book explores the highs and lows of falling in love with someone who doesn't love you and how you can lose yourself whilst trying to make other people happy. This is a good character based book and I really enjoyed reading this. 4.5 stars. I will be recommending

*Adelaide* is a heart-wrenching yet tender exploration of love, mental health, and self-worth. Genevieve Wheeler's debut novel follows Adelaide Williams, a young American expat living in London, as she navigates the ups and downs of a relationship that leaves her questioning everything she thought she knew about love.

Wheeler beautifully captures the complexities of unrequited love and the emotional toll it can take on one's mental health. The prose is poignant, at times gutting, but always honest. Adelaide's struggles with anxiety and depression are handled with care, making her journey toward self-acceptance both relatable and deeply moving.

What stands out most is the authenticity of the characters—Adelaide feels like someone you know, or even like yourself, and her vulnerability is what makes the story so powerful. Wheeler doesn't shy away from the messy, uncomfortable emotions, instead presenting them in a way that feels real and raw.

For anyone who's ever been in love with someone who couldn't love them back, or who's struggled with their mental health, *Adelaide* will resonate deeply. It's a book that stays with you long after the final page, reminding you that even in the darkest moments, you're never truly alone.

I will post a review on my page on release day - instagram.com/ce.readsss

This raw and emotionally loaded novel really blew me away. It nearly brought me to tears on multiple occasions, as well as to laughter. The way that Genevieve Wheeler depicts friendship, love and heartbreak is truly phenomenal. I can already think of multiple people who will love this and who I will be recommending it to. Trigger warnings to bear in mind are grief, suicidal thoughts and sexual abuse, and this is at times, quite a heavy and hard hitting book. It is, however, a beautiful rendering of what it means to go through your 20s, feeling everything, both the highs and lows, to the fullest.

I absolutely adored this book. Lost two sleepless nights to it in fact because I couldn't stop reading. The author's voice is so unique, warm and funny you fall in love with Adelaide instantly even as she's car-crashing her way through life. The writing is off the scale fantastic and the blend of humour and heartbreak along with the unforgettable cast of characters put me in mind of Sorrow and Bliss. It's that good. Can't wait to see this book fly.

Wow. This book gave me a whole lot more than what I was expecting. I expected it to be heartbreaking, but the levels of frustration, anger and hurt the author manages to portrayal is exceptional.

Adelaide falls head over heels in love with story Hughes the moment they meet. However, this definitely isn’t a love story. It’s quite obvious to the reader which way the story is going to go but I actually appreciated this. It solidified the fact that when you are in love, it’s hard to see how you are being treated, emotionally abused and walk away from that. Rory Hughes was a little shit (to put it nicely) OH MY GOD I wanted to punch him, so hats off to the author for stirring up this anger in me. I became so immersed in Adelaide’s story and wanted to protect her at all costs, how much she tried to make the relationship, the kindness and support gave hurt my heart. AND THEN, the outcome of Rory’s life angered me even more, that man should have been unhappy for eternity (!!!!).

But I honestly was so invested in this book I struggled to put it down. The ending was the perfect and I loved the style it was told in. There are a lot of heavy topics addressed but if you like stories about complicated relationships, messy characters who go on a rollercoaster of a journey you will thoroughly enjoyed this one I think.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for my ARC copy.

This is without a doubt one of the best books of 2024. I am completely obsessed with Adelaide and her story. From the first page I was hooked, and found the book to be completely unputdownable. It is such a gorgeous yet heartbreaking tale, and a poignant and compelling read. I actually found it really relatable and moving, and I know that I will be thinking about Adelaide for a long time to come.

Adelaide by Genevieve Wheeler

I read this book in less than 24 hours as I just couldn't put it down.
I was totally drawn in to the story and at times felt like shouting at the book to get Adelaide to see things more clearly.

Adelaide is living in London, working hard and dating Rory Hughes who is sometimes her "disney prince" and other times missing in action. After tragedy strikes Adelaide works hard to support those around her.

I loved the way the story jumped in time and location as I felt it really gave depth and understanding to the story and timeline.

With strong themes of friendship, grief and mental health, Adelaide is an exceptional debut novel.

Thank you to negalleyuk, the publishers and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

#Scottishreader #irishbookstagram #Adelaide

Was this an easy read? No, it’s bound to be one that will be triggering for some because it deals with some tough topics. However, for me this was a masterclass in characterisation. Adelaide is imperfectly perfect, the kind of character you fall in love with and ride the highs and lows with. Her relationship with Rory and her wonderful friendship group provide light and shade bringing this story to life. It goes to dark places, but it also feels relatable and full of hope. I loved every second of Adelaide.

First of all, thank you, thank you, thank you @headofzeus for approving me on NetGalley for this one. I whizzed through this in 2 days, unable to put it down. Adelaide made me feel every emotion possible and I loved it so much more than I was expecting to. I would highly recommend you give Adelaide a read, but make sure you've got some tissues handy as it is bound to make you well up.

Adelaide is the most selfless, pure, thoughtful, kind person to ever exist. She falls in love quick and hard and ultimately ends up giving her all to someone who doesn't even give her the bare minimum in return. Wheeler did a fantastic job at making the reader feel heartbroken, confused, and frustrated along with Adelaide, and despite knowing from the start that this relationship wasn't meant to last (this isn't a spoiler) you can't help being shocked at the actions of Rory and devastated for Adelaide. This was so well written and laid out that at times I even questioned if I was overreacting to these situations, which just highlights that sometimes you can't see things for how they truly are when you are in the middle of them and so in love that you're willing to sacrifice yourself to make your partner happy.

Honestly this one was a rollercoaster and I'm just going to finish this off by saying Adelaide, you deserve the world! (yes I know she's fictional)

This novel follows Adelaide Williams, 26 years old, from America but currently living in London. One evening she meets Rory Hughes, a charming English man, who Adelaide becomes infatuated with…but he’s not good for her. He sucks at communication, he never makes plans and never responds to texts, always leaving Adelaide hanging, but despite all this she’s still very much in love with him. And then one day tragedy strikes Rory’s world. Adelaide does everything in her power to keep him together…but at what expense?

You know when you read a book and it’s scarily relatable? That’s how I feel about Adelaide. Don’t get me wrong this book is so damn brilliant, but it was scary how it felt like Genevieve Wheeler had written down so many experiences and feelings on paper that were so similar to my own. It’s not often that I cry at a novel, but this one just hit so close to home, and at times that made it quite difficult to read.
There’s a lot in this book. It’s a lot to read. It’s a lot to handle emotionally. But the writing and the prose is just so beautiful and those last few pages were filled with words that I needed to hear so badly.
Genevieve Wheeler, you are insane…and I hate that I loved a book like this, I hate that sent me into floods of tears so many times, but I’m so glad I read this when I did. If that isn’t a testament to how good this is, then I’m not really sure what is.

If you do read this, please check trigger warnings before you do so <3

Adelaide is a twenty something American living and working in London. It’s love at first sight when she meets Rory Hughes. Unfortunately, as their relationship develops, although she is convinced that he’s ‘the one’, the feeling clearly isn’t mutual. Adelaide is very much the giver, buying him gifts, cooking for him and generally going over the top trying to please in the hope she can make him fall in love with her. Her behaviour at times feels smothering, although to a degree understandable, as the story moves between past and present and we learn of events that have brought her to where she is today.
Rory’s behaviour, is at times both rude and selfish – disappearing for days, cancelling arrangements to meet at short notice, and not introducing her to his friends. By chance, Adelaide meets a past lover of Rory’s. Someone he clearly has had difficulty forgetting. Once more her confidence is shattered. How can she possibly compete? But there is even worse to come; events that send her life spiralling out of control.

The one positive in Adelaide’s life were her friends. Long term and close, they are the ones who rescue her and help set her life on a different and more positive course. Is there a happy ending? Well, yes there is, although not quite in the way I expected.
An emotional story. Highly recommended.

I would like to thank Aria and Aries, the author and Netgalley for an ARC of Adelaide in exchange for an honest review.

Adelaide Williams was the ideal main character for me, I felt so seen, a lover of classical films, good literature, an original dream of working in publishing, a chronic people pleaser with endometriosis and a terrible judgement in men. I felt so deeply in love with this character that I couldn't stop reading about her life and willing her to survive throughout it all.

This book was not necessarily an easy read, there were a lot of content warnings that should be flagged and I'd recommend researching before reading but if you can make it through the content warnings then the story is really worth it. Despite knowing where things were going, because the inevitability of Adelaide's relationship with Rory was painfully clear, it didn't stop me from being enraptured with their story together, seeing how fate had intertwined them and as Adelaide believed, the universe put them in each other's lives when one of them needed it the most. Through it all, the ups and downs, the heartache and the love, I was so happy to see that Celeste, Madeline and Eloise stood by their friend, it was heartwarming to see a solid friendship unit in a narrative that could have so easily abandoned Adelaide during the years she spent in London and enthralled with her relationship.

I appreciated that the narrative was not necessarily linear and that we were shown different aspects of not only Adelaide's life but Rorys as well, these interjections really helped to build their characters and their motivations. I can't be sure if it is my love for Adelaide and my awareness of men like him that fuelled my dislike for Rory or whether it was Wheeler's intention to set him up to be an unlikable character. The story was so painfully real, it was easy to see the mistakes that both characters were making in their life and relationship and it was so understandable to see how Adelaide fell into this cycle and spiral.

I could talk for hours about this book, but have no one to talk to about it and I don't think everyone will have the same opinions as me however this book touched my soul very deeply, Adelaide Williams felt like a version of myself that could occur in an alternate universe, and yet she is also a version of me that existed in my previous relationships. Reading Adelaide was an experience that left me feeling very seen and understood and I value that so much.

Easily one of my favourite books of this year.

Wheeler truly depicts the realities of relationships, self-reflection, mental health, and everyday experiences. I don't think I've read a book where I've related and felt so strongly for the characters. From being frustrated with both Adelaide and Rory, hating Rory, and feeling empathy for Rory and Adelaide (whilst also questioning Adelaide's decision-making), every single chapter had me engrossed.

I FLEW through this book and can see why it is being compared to Normal People. It is Normal People with a sprinkle of Cleopatra and Frankenstein in my opinion. Both of which I also enjoyed.

100% would recommend. PICK. THIS. UP.

Thank you to Aria & Aries for providing me with an arc of this book and thank you to Genevieve Wheeler for writing this masterpiece.

Adelaide by Genevieve Wheeler.Publication Date : Nov 7th Ire/Uk* I believe this book was released last year in the US/Internationally.
Adelaide is a 26 year old American woman living in London. Adelaide is funny, bright, a little chaotic, enchanting with a big heart and a strong circle of friends. Adelaide is one of the most relatable characters I have read in ages and this debut novel is a startlingly accurate portrayal of life in your 20s.
This novel follows Adelaide over a period of about 18 months where she is finding her feet in the world and falling madly in love with a man who she believes is the one for her. Despite its premise, this is not a romance novel. The book opens with Adelaide no longer wanting to live and then tracing the path that has led her to this point. I really appreciated the writing in this book and it wove its way under my skin. This is a book about mental health, love, heartbreak, grief, hope, looking for the fairytale, friends as close as family, connections, the meaning we place on signs and people and how one woman navigates it. There is light and levity as well as darkness in this book and it was impossible not to become hugely invested in this frustrating, messy, lovely character. It made me miss my life of twenty years ago and be so deeply grateful for my life now in equal measure. Adelaide is a character you will want to hug, comfort and be friends with.
A sparkling , relatable, sometimes crushing and all times engaging, read. I really enjoyed this and I am looking forward to reading more from Genevieve Wheeler.
* Adelaide is out tomorrow. I received an arc with thanks to Netgalley and the publishers Aria. As always, this is an honest review.